Warrap State Information Minister William Wol Mayom on Tuesday said four local youths who were protecting cattle were killed and one person was injured in Tonj North County on Sunday and Monday in separate attacks.
The state official told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that three cattle defenders were killed on Sunday while one was killed and another injured on Monday in the Kongor area of Tonj North County by cattle raiders suspected to have come from Unity State’s Mayom County.
“On Sunday, armed youth suspected to be from Mayom County in Unity State attacked herders in the Kongor grazing lands and attempted to raid cattle. Fortunately, local youths followed the raiders and recovered the cattle but in the process, three youths went missing and were later found shot dead by the attackers on Monday,” he said. “On Monday night, the same suspects killed a person in cold blood and wounded another in the same area and raided 34 head of cattle but 30 of the cattle were rescued.”
Minister Wol denied that armed youth under the command of a spiritual leader, Gai Machiek, who hails from Mayom County but has been domiciled in Warrap State are responsible for the attack.
“I cannot report what happened on the side of the attackers because they have their spokesperson who you can contact to balance your story. However, our armed youth and the security apparatus followed the attackers towards Unity State after they attacked us,” he stated. “The distance from Ajak-Kuac to Kongor is quite a long trek so those who say the attackers belong to Gai’s forces are lying. The area is just a hiding point for criminals from Unity State and the Warrap government condemns the attacks by youth from Unity State because they intend to avoid the facts.”
“General Gai Machiek sent his forces to Unity State and remained with his family members in Ajak-Kuac Payam of Twic County in Warrap State cannot raid cattle with his family members in Kongor area in Tonj North County,” Wol added.
For his part, David Jiekjor, the Unity State government spokesperson, vehemently denied that armed youth from Mayom raided cattle in Tonj North County, citing that the armed youth commanded by Gen. Machiek who are hosted in Warrap State should be blamed for the attacks.
“There were no attacks launched by youth from Unity State’s Mayom County in Tonj North County and the information is not correct. The attacks were done by forces under the command of Gai Machiek who lives in Ajak-Kuac Payam in Warrap’s Twic County,” he countered. “Gai Machiek’s forces are no longer under the responsibility of Unity State because they left Unity State three years ago and are part of Warrap State. He stays there and the Government of Warrap State knows this and he (Gai) is not in the territory of Unity State as we speak. Gai’s forces usually go and raid Gogrial, Tonj, and other areas in Warrap state.”
Jiekjor claims that the government of Unity State has controlled the local armed youth and always cooperates with Warrap State authorities through information sharing if they hear of plans to rad cattle.
“The information is not correct,” he illuminated. “You remember that a presidential order required Gai Machiek and his forces to return to their state of origin and we in our capacity as Unity State, requested Warrap State to issue an order to him (Machiek) to leave Warrap State and come to Unity State and the government of Warrap declined our call and the order of the president.”