About 33 cows were rustled when a group of gunmen raided a village in Uror County of South Sudan’s Jonglei State on Thursday evening, a government official said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, Uror County Commissioner Tang Chatim said the incident occurred during an attack carried out by the armed group in Payay village of the county’s Padiek Payam.
“Two herdsmen who were looking after the cattle escaped unhurt when the attackers opened fire on both of them. Those raiders then managed to make away with 33 cows,” he said.
The local official claimed the attack was carried out by cattle raiders suspected to have come from Likuangule in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and called on the authorities there to intervene, warning that such recurring attacks could jeopardize peace and stability.
Lt. Colonel Peter Gatbel Machar, the county police inspector, also confirmed the incident and said local youth and police officers were pursuing the attackers to recover the animals.
For his part, Clement Maze, the Likuangule County commissioner, said he would carry out an investigation into the incident. “My counterpart in Uror tipped me off. So, we will investigate the claim,” he said.
Cattle raids and child abduction are common among the communities in the Greater Jonglei state. In January, a peace conference aimed at pacifying the rival communities in the region was concluded in the capital Juba.