Authorities of Warrap State’s Tonj East county and Lakes State’s Rumbek North county said on Wednesday that five people were killed and about nine injured in an attack at the Panhomcuol cattle camp in Makuach payam of Tonj East.
Tonj East County Commissioner, John Deng Kok, told Radio Tamazuj that three people were killed from his side while seven others sustained injuries in the attack allegedly by armed youths from Rumbek North.
“The armed youth from Rumbek North county of Lakes State at around 8 pm local time yesterday (Tuesday) attacked the Panhomcuol cattle camp in an attempt to raid cattle and the youth around repulsed them back,” he said. “But three people were killed from the cattle camp youth and around seven others were injured and were brought to the county health care center at Romic headquarters.”
Commissioner Deng stressed that armed Rumbek North youths attacked his county saying Tonj East county has peaceful relations with all its other neighbors including Tonj South, Tonj North of Warrap state, Cueibet of Lakes State, and Panyijiar, Mayendit and Thuc of Unity state.
He said this is the second attack by Rumbek North youths since the beginning of the year.
“I used to communicate any incident with my counterpart the commissioner of Rumbek North and this is the situation. Nothing has happened to reduce armed youth from attacking our cattle camps, some of them even attempted to raid cattle in the grazing land,” he lamented.
For his part, Arop Kumbai, Rumbek North County commissioner confirmed the incident and said two people from his county died and two others were injured in the raid.
“It was not an attack but some criminals from Rumbek North sneaked to Tonj East and tried to raid cattle and the cattle were recovered. In that process, two people were killed from my side and other two were injured” he said.
Commissioner Kumbai called on the Warrap State government to join hands with his government to improve the security situation along their common borders.