At least 7 people were killed, 4 others injured and about 2000 herd of cattle raided during an attack by a group of armed men on the southern outskirts of Jonglei State’s Ayod town on Wednesday, a local official said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, James Chuol Jiek, the Ayod County commissioner, said: “Gul cattle camp in Pagoung Payam was attacked by suspected cattle raiders on Wednesday morning. In the clashes, we lost 5 youth while 4 others were injured. And from the side of the attackers, 2 people were killed.”
He added, “The attackers went away with about 5800 cows, but our local youth managed to recover 3800 cows, so only 2000 are still missing.”
The county official blamed the attack on suspected cattle raiders from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and called on his counterparts there to intervene.
Chol Deng Achiek, the acting Jonglei police commissioner, said he has yet to receive details about the incident.
For his part, Judi Jonglei Boyoris, the former speaker of the GPAA legislative council, denied Pibor youth involvement in the attack.
“There are no boundaries between Pibor and Ayod. So, it is not true that our youth crossed through all the areas of Jonglei to raid cows there. And as we speak, our youth are still engaging youth from Ayod County within our territories,” he said.
Communities in the greater Jonglei area have for a long been wrangling leading to cattle raids and child abductions. Several efforts aimed at pacifying the rival groups in the region have yet to bear fruits.