A senior official in Boma State said a group of heavily armed youth and soldiers from neighbouring Jonglei State have captured Kotchar area which lies on the Murle territory.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, Rachael Anok Omot, the Deputy Governor of Boma State, said the armed group from neighbouring Jonglei State is still carrying out attacks on villages in Kotchar County in Boma State.
“They are still in our area, those soldiers are still attacking the area, they have now captured Kotchar town which is a Murle land,” she said.
The official called on the state government in Jonglei to persuade the armed group to withdraw from their territory before any dialogue between the two states.
Meanwhile, Nyany Korok, a youth leader in Boma, accused elements within the government army from neighbouring Jonglei of involvement in the attack on Kotchar County.
He called on the national government in Juba to intervene and control the situation in the tow states. The youth leader pointed out that they have not yet received any report on the number of people killed in the attack.
But another local official pointed out that the attack which started on Saturday and continued until Tuesday afternoon displaced a large number of many people including women and children.
For his part, the Governor of Jonglei State, Philip Aguer Panyang, has called for a meeting with traditional leaders from Boma State to solve the ongoing child abductions and cattle rustling in the two states.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Governor Philip reiterated his commitment to peace and resolution of issues related to child abductions and cattle rustling.