Local authorities in Warrap State’s Tonj East County and Lake State’s Rumbek North County have said nine cattle keepers were killed on Thursday when fighting erupted in Angui cattle camp in Tonj East County.
William Arop, the Tonj East County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that attackers believed to have come from the Agar Pakam area in Rumbek North County, Lakes State, also left 13 people with injuries.
“There was an attack from Rumbek North County by armed youth from Pakam who attacked Angui cattle camp in the Toch area and killed five people and wounded ten others from people of Luachjang community and I don’t know how many died from the attackers’ side,” he said.
Commissioner Arop said the army was not deployed in the area because it is swampy and the place where cattle are kept is far and inaccessible which made it difficult for security forces to intervene. According to the official, no cattle were taken by attackers because the owners protected their herds during fighting that lasted the whole day.
Meanwhile, Samuel Mabior, the commissioner of Rumbek North County in Lakes State, confirmed the incident and appealed to authorities of Tonj East County in Warrap State to restrain their armed youth from launching road attacks.
“This is the issue of cattle raiding and it happened at the side of Mayendit County of Unity State in a swampy area where Tonj East cattle graze. It is a commonly shared area. It happened at the borders of Tonj East County of Warrap State and Mayendit County of Unity State. Our Governor Rin Tueny is trying his best to bring communities together but there is no access due to lack of roads and big forests,” he said. “The little we do here is to control the towns and the main roads to allow businesses to operate but armed youths pass through bushes and cause problems anywhere. The governors of Lakes and Warrap states are doing their best to bring security back to normal and we commissioners are also striving to bring communities together.”
Mabior added: “We communicate security issues between us commissioners and we are hopeful that the situation will return to normal.”
He acknowledged that four armed youths from his jurisdiction lost their lives and three others were admitted to the hospital with injuries sustained in the fighting.
“Four people died on the spot and three were admitted to the hospital on our side here, we do not know the casualties from their side in the Luachjang area but we always talk to the youth in an attempt to stop them from criminal activities,” he said. “However, sometimes Luachjang youth attack our areas even almost up to the county headquarters.”