At least four people have been killed, seven others wounded and over 350 head of cattle raided from Rumbek Centre County of Lakes State by armed youth suspected to have come from Panyijiar County in neighboring Unity State.
The attack occurred in Amongpiny Payam of Rumbek Centre County on Wednesday.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the police chief in the area Brigadier General Makur Dak, said: "They came as a huge force, and they took the whole cattle camp. The number which they raided was 356 cows, but only 6 cows were recovered, and they went with 350."
Gen. Dak said the attackers lost four people, whose dead bodies were later found on the scene, in the ensuing firefight while seven people from the cattle camp sustained varying injuries. He added that that the attackers from neighboring Unity state were using light and heavy machine guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs)
"They attacked the cattle camp at 1 am because their motive of the attack was to raid cattle and kill people in Amongpiny Payam,” Gen. Dak said.
According to the police, when they went to rescue the situation, they found that the whole cattle camp had been raided and that the 7 people wounded from the side of Amongpiny Payam were evacuated for treatment to Rumbek State Hospital and the situation was now calm.
The acting minister of information in Lakes State, Stephen Mathian Deng, confirmed that the attack was carried out by armed youth suspected to have come from Unity state.
"We have few security forces there and they were not enough to rescue the situation because the attackers had a huge number,” Mathiang said.
However, the minister of information and communication in Unity State, Makuei Bol, said that he would first have to confirm from the authorities in Panyijiar County what happened.
"I just heard now from you. But I will first of all try to confirm it from the authorities in Panyijiar County. But it might be true because there are armed criminals from Unity state who used to attack neighboring Lakes and Warrap states,” Minister Makuei said.
The Unity State information minister attributed incidents of cattle rustling and cyclic violence to the lack of a unified mobile police force, absence of communication networks, and poor road networks along the common borders of the states.