At least three people have been killed in two separate attacks in Uror County in Jonglei state early this week, authorities said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Machot Gatluak Kenyjak, the Uror County commissioner, said in the first incident, two men were waylaid and killed in Tiam Payam on Sunday, while later the following day a herdsman was killed in Motot Payam.
“On Sunday afternoon, two men were killed in a road ambush while heading to the neighboring Duk county. The following day at 10 pm, there was an attack on a cattle camp in Motot Payam in which a herdsman was killed and 220 heads of cattle raided,” he said.
The commissioner accused armed youth from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) of involvement in the attacks and said cattle owners were pursuing the attackers in a bid to recover the stolen animals.
Brig. James Marial Gatluak, the Uror County police inspector, confirmed the two incidents and said cattle owners were later able to recover the stolen animals.
“In Motot incident, the man killed is a 53-year-old Let Bum, and only a few cattle are still missing after the cattle owners pursued the attackers to recover the cattle,” he said.
On his part, Simon Peter Ajany, the GPAA local government minister, said no youth from his area would be involved in attacks in Jonglei State because of the ongoing fighting in GPAA.