A senior official in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) said a herdsman was killed and two people injured while 3,000 head of cattle were raided in an attack by armed assailants in Gumuruk County on Monday.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday evening, Peter Ajany Kaimoi, the GPAA local government minister, said tensions were still high as the attacking youth suspected to be from Jonglei State withdrew to their borders.
“Last week, we reported that there was an attack by youth who had mobilized themselves in Jonglei State areas of Duk, Yuai, and Ayod,” he stated. “Following the arrival of this armed youth group in our territories on 28 February, and subsequent attacks on Greater Nanaam villages of Bichbich, Mau, and Ram, an unspecified number of people were killed and cattle raided, on 1 March.”
Ajany added: “On 3 March, the same group moved to the Greater Gumuruk village of Vuvet, attacking it, killing a herdsman, injuring two others including a girl while 3,000 cows were made away with. They also attacked a base of a road construction company near Manyabol town, destroying equipment therein.”
The government minister condemned the attack.
“Tensions are high because we believe these attackers are still around Bichbich,” he said. “As a government, we condemned this attack and called for restraint.”
However, Jonglei State Local Government Minister Simon Hoth Duol said they were unaware of the attack and expressed commitment to peacefully coexisting with neighbors.
“We did not receive this report from our commissioners. However, criminals from Greater Pibor have been disturbing our eight counties except for Fangak because it is cut off by the floods,” he said. “So, if there are youth who went there to steal, this is wrong and it will affect the peace we are trying to build.”
For his part, Bol Deng Bol, a Bor-based civil society activist and the Executive Director of INTREPIDD South Sudan, said the renewed inter-communal violence among communities of Greater Jonglei was a setback to efforts to restore peace.
“This is a setback to the peace we have been pushing for. This is so disappointing to us,” he stated. “There is a need for condemnation of this and strict follow up of resolutions of past dialogues to avoid relapse.”