Authorities in Lainya County of Central Equatoria State have condemned the killing of three civilians by suspected armed cattle herders from Terekeka County in Kenyi and Wuji Payams last weekend.
Lainya County commissioner Emmanuel Khamis Richard said that two civilians in Loka Boma of Kenyi Payam and another one in Limuro Boma of Wuji Payam and several others were injured in the two incidents.
Khamis said the cattle keepers are violating recent peace resolutions which demanded the Mundari cattle herders to leave the area peacefully.
Khamis said although the situation was tense till Tuesday, security operatives have been dispatched to quell the situation.
“This is a very serious criminal act which I condemn in the strongest terms possible and I directed the security organs across the county to raise their constitutional mandate of protecting the people and their properties in Lainya county. These criminal attacks on the civilians by the cattle herders continued till yesterday,” he added.
Khamis said the state security advisor and other law enforcement agencies will visit Lainya to investigate and resolve the matter peacefully.
“We have resolved as a local government to enforce the order of the president and the governor to ensure that these cattle keepers return immediately to their area of origin because our people are suffering and we have a constitutional obligation as a government to protect the lives and properties of our people," he said.
The commissioner noted that security forces have been directed to protect the people and ensure armed herders do not move in civilian areas.
In January 2021, a peace conference between farmers and cattle keepers in Lainya resolved that cattle keepers from Terekeka must leave the area to avoid such confrontations.
However, the agreement largely remained unimplemented, with cattle still roaming in the area.