The minister of information and communication in South Sudan’s Unity State says calm has returned to Leer and Mayiendit counties of Unity State after last week’s deadly clashes that claimed at least 20 lives.
Last Wednesday and Thursday, armed youth from Leer clashed with Mayiendit cattle traders after a misunderstanding at a border cattle market, and about 20 people lost their lives while an unknown number of people were wounded.
On Friday, six people had been confirmed dead and about nine houses torched in Leer County.
Minister Gabriel Hon Makuei Bol told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the number of deaths and those injured had risen, but the exact figures have not been established.
“There is no government intervention because the area is inaccessible. They alone by themselves, have stopped fighting. It is true people are talking about 15, 20, and 25 people killed. There is no exact number of the confirmed dead and the number of wounded is more because there is lack of coordination between the warring parties and the local government in the counties,” he said. “So, it is difficult but the casualties are approximately 20-25 people.”
Hon said it is also difficult to establish the number of those wounded from both sides as they are not in one place and each party took their wounded from the scene of the clashes.
He added that the wounded are currently receiving treatment in primary health care centers in the two counties.