At least seven people were killed and another critically injured in an attack carried out by a group of armed men in Pigi County of Jonglei State on Sunday, authorities there said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Lual Nyok, the county commissioner, said: “Mat village in Wunlith Payam was attacked by an armed group on Sunday at midnight. The attackers had wanted to steal cows but after one local spotted their activity, they started opening fire sporadically on the villagers while they were asleep, killing six people including a woman.”
He added, “But during the encounter, one of the attackers was shot dead. No cow was stolen as those suspected cattle raiders from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) escaped."
The local official, however, pointed out that the county is calm despite the incident.
Jonglei State information minister, Veronica William Deng, condemned the attack and called on GPAA youth to desist from violence to avoid more clashes.
For his part, Judi Jonglei Boyoris, the former speaker of the GPAA legislative council, denied knowledge of the incident.
“We are not aware of what has happened there. Again, we share no boundaries with those of Pigi, so there is no way our youth cross rivers to carry out attacks there,” Jonglei said.