Authorities in Twic County of South Sudan's Warrap State say a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured and more than 700 cattle stolen on Sunday afternoon.
Twic County Commissioner Deng Tong Gosh told Radio Tamazuj that the raid at Majok Noon village was conducted by suspected armed youth from neighboring Mayom County in Unity State.
"Armed youth from Mayom County sneaked into cattle in the grazing area. Six boys were grazing the cattle. To their surprise, armed strangers emerged from the bushes. One of the boys who was carrying a rifle shot it in the air to frighten them but they shot at him, injuring him on his back, They raided over 700 cattle," the commissioner said.
Tong said the other boys ran and informed people of the incident and the injured boy was rushed to Mother Teresa hospital in Turalei where he is receiving treatment.
"Immediately after the incident, I communicate with Mayom County Commissioner and he managed with SSPDF to recover less than 100 cattle. This is good cooperation and I condemn the act of armed youth against civilians' properties," he said.
Deng added that with the help of his Mayom counterpart, they were able to recover 100 cattle while appreciating cooperation between the two counties.
For his part, Mayom County Commissioner James Chuol Gatluak confirmed the incident and said, "The South Sudan People's Defence Force (SSPDF) in Mayom went to the border of Twic after I ordered them and managed to recover some cows. The cows are now in the hands of the government and these criminals were pursued but there is a lot of water in the area which makes it difficult to follow them. Yes, there was fighting when cows were recovered but nobody was injured on both sides."