Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony and his Jonglei State counterpart, Denay Chagor, over the weekend agreed to collectively ensure that pastoralists from Bor return home.

Adil said they have taken the directive of President Salva Kiir that cattle return to their places of origin seriously and will implement it so that there is harmony.

“As all of you heard, the president directed that we create harmony among our people,” he said. “Let the cattle be moved to their places of origin and as such, I and Denay have taken this directive very seriously.”

According to Governor Adil, their resolution follows the killing of over 20 civilians in Lire Payam of Kajokeji County at the end of last month. He said they agreed that the pastoralists and their cattle be provided security to protect them on their way home.

“I have also directed the county commissioners together with our population to allow corridors in which these cattle will move peacefully,” he said. “We want to report here that quite a big number of cattle camps which were previously in Southern Juba, in the areas of Lobonok and Eastern Juba in Liriya, Lokiliri, and Mangala, have moved to Jonglei.”

On his part, Jonglei Governor Denay Chagor Jok confirmed that they resolved to ensure the cattle return safely and directed the pastoralists to heed the president’s order and return home.

“For you people of Jonglei who are herding cattle in Eastern Equatoria and Central Equatoria states, the country has called all of us to take our cattle back to Jonglei,” he said.

Chagor also said that the floods which drove the herders out of Jonglei State have subsided and so they should return.