Armed youth from Mayom County in Unity State seized control of Abiemnhom town in the Ruweng Administrative Area on Wednesday morning following clashes, a local official said.
Mario Deng Ayot, the commissioner of Abiemnhom County, told Radio Tamazuj that the armed youth from neighboring Mayom County “captured the town from the authorities” in an attack that began overnight.
“Last night, the armed youth from Mayom County mobilized to attack the area, and this morning they conducted the attacks on the county headquarters. They captured it and displaced several people. Those killed or injured have not yet been identified by the authorities,” he said.
Ayot said tensions escalated on Tuesday after four people from Abiemnhom were killed by armed youth from Mayom in a cattle-related incident at around 4 p.m.
“This morning, they attacked the county headquarters and attacked people. Some houses have been burned. As I speak to you now, I am in the bush after fleeing from the county headquarters,” he added.
The commissioner said the attackers arrived in large numbers, forcing civilians to flee. “Now I don’t know how many people have been killed in the fighting this morning because fighting is still ongoing. When fighting stops, that is when I can confirm the number of casualties,” he said.
Ayot confirmed the town was captured at 7:30 a.m. and that he had informed the Ruweng chief administrator to relay the situation to Unity State’s governor.
Radio Tamazuj attempted to contact Mayom County and Unity State authorities for comment but was unable to reach them.
Cattle raiding, a long-standing practice in most parts of South Sudan, has become increasingly violent and is a major cause of conflict, with raids often involving attacks on civilians and the abduction of women and children.