The Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) leadership has announced that they are launching an investigation into last month’s deadly attacks by armed assailants on the cattle camps of Dinka from Bor in Eastern Equatoria State’s Magwi County.
The attack in late January claimed the lives of about 40 people, and over 60 others were injured while the attackers rustled thousands of head of cattle. Some senior government officials in Jonglei State said the aggressors were a combined force of the host community and Murle youth from the neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
Speaking to Radio Tamazuuj, Jacob Werchum Jouk, the GPAA information minister, said claims that their youth were involved were made by senior government officials and that it was worrying. While refuting Pibor’s youth involvement, he said they were committed to peace with neighbors and that it was on this basis that an investigation would be conducted.
“We are coming out to dismiss falsified statements made by some Jonglei State government officials on mainstream and social media that our youth were involved in attacks on Bor cattle camps near Aru junction,” he stated. “The government of GPAA will investigate to determine whether its youth have indeed crossed the border to participate in the attack. Should this be the case, then the administration will take measures against them for violating the law and causing havoc.”
The minister urged the Jonglei State government to cooperate with them by providing information supporting their claim of Pibor youth involvement in the attack.
“We alerted our counties and its various levels to monitor any movement of a youth group intending to bring cattle because, based on the accusations, it said that some youths are heading to Pibor with cattle, and this is the basis of our investigation,” he said.
His Jonglei State counterpart, Nyamar Lony, when contacted, said she was at a busy scene and that she would get back to this publication, but several calls to reach out to her later went unanswered.
Civil society activist Bol Deng Bol welcomed the GPAA probe as a peace gesture.
“We welcomed this move by the GPAA government,” he said. “We urge that the investigation be a genuine one and not end up without a result.”