At least three people have been confirmed dead and one person wounded in clashes on Tuesday morning when rustlers attacked a cattle camp in Duk County, local officials have said.
Peter Latjor, the commissioner of Duk County, told Radio Tamazuj that the attackers who crossed from the neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) targeted a cattle camp that was on the move in search of pasture between Duk Pagak and Padiet Payams.
“In Duk County this (Tuesday) morning at 8 exactly, there was a cattle camp that was moving from Pagak Payam to Duk Padiet. When they reached the place called Looch, they fell into an ambush by criminals suspected to be from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area,” he explained. “They killed three young men, wound one man, and took all the cattle.”
Commissioner Latjor said the raiders stole thousands of cattle and headed east to GPAA.
“Now all the youth are pursuing the attackers but they have not yet given us a report on whether they reached the cattle or not,” he added. “The estimated number of stolen cattle is 2.500, it is the whole cattle camp.”
The commissioner condemned the attack and called on the GPAA authorities to cooperate in restoring peace and security in the area.
For his part, John Abula, the deputy chief administrator of GPAA, said they have not received any official communication about the incident from Duk County. He however said the chief administrator, Lokali Amae, was holding peace talks with local communities in Gumuruk County.
“We do not have that information and perhaps the authorities of Jonglei will let us know later, but currently we have not received any official call,” he stated. “The chief administrator is currently in Gumuruk to talk with the youth.”
This is the latest incident within the last two weeks after 24 people were killed and 30 others wounded when an armed group suspected to have come from the GPAA launched a deadly attack on a cattle camp in Duk’s Poktap town.
Cattle raids are common in Greater Jonglei with several attempts to make peace and stop repeated cattle raids having little success.