At least 9 people were killed and 6 others wounded in Mvolo County of Western Equatoria State after armed men attacked cattle keepers on Friday, a local official told Radio Tamazuj.

The gunmen crept into a cattle camp in the early hours of Friday morning and sprayed it with bullets, killing 9 people instantly and wounding 6 others, said Isaac Togule, executive director of Mvolo County.

The local official said the attackers made away with more than 400 cows.

Isaac accused armed youth from neighboring Yirol County of carrying out the deadly attack. He added that they are coordinating with Yirol authorities in order to recover the stolen cattle.

The executive director has called for calm and urged Mvolo residents not to take the law into their own hands as authorities work to settle the matter.

Yirol officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Many areas in South Sudan have suffered decades of violence, mainly caused by cattle raiding and grazing land.