Unidentified assailants attacked a cattle camp in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area’s (GPAA) Muruou County on Sunday, and made away with 500 head of cattle and two boys who were looking after the livestock.
GPAA Information Minister Oleyo Akwer Nyalus told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the raiders were suspected to have come from the neighboring Eastern Equatoria State. He said they were being pursued.
“On Sunday afternoon, armed assailants launched an attack on grazing sites at the outskirts of Giro Village. They abducted two boys who were looking after cattle and went away with over 500 cattle,” he stated.
The Minister said the raid took the villagers by surprise because they were enjoying peace.
“We suspect these criminals to be from Kapoeta in Eastern Equatoria State as that was the direction they took while being pursued. This is shocking to our people because recently we returned 11 children abducted by Murle youth in April to Eastern Equatoria so there should be no ground for retaliation.”
The GPAA government spokesperson urged restraint and pleaded with their Eastern Equatoria State counterparts to help recover the kidnapped boys and the animals.
Efforts by Radio Tamazuj to reach Eastern Equatoria State Information Minister and the Kapoeta North County Commissioner were futile.
Cattle rustling has been commonplace among the GPAA communities and their Eastern Equatoria neighbors since the beginning of this year, a vice often accompanied by killings and abductions. The simmering tensions also saw the closure of lifeline route by the Kapoeta youth, leading to scarcity of commodities and worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in GPAA.