The Dinka Bor Community in Jonglei State have said tensions between herders and the farmers in Magwi County were instigated by the Eastern Equatoria State Government.
Community Secretary General Mayon Ateny Wai said the armed civilians who launched an attack on the cattle camps were a joint group of the Murle and the Acholi youth.
The claims follow the recent clash in Magwi that resulted in 35 deaths and 45 injuries.
The Dinka Bor said the suspected attackers also went away with over 10,000 head of cattle.
The Eastern Equatoria State Government last week strongly condemned the attacks.
Wai told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that targeting the Dinka Bor herders was facilitated by the leadership of Eastern Equatoria and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
The clashes, Wai said, had claimed lives from both sides with some bodies yet to be removed from the scene.
“This is a politically motivated attack. People are being targeted because of their identity,” he said.
“Eastern Equatoria and Magwi County communities claim that the cattle were ruining their farms. That is not true since there are no farms where the cattle keepers are. Those who are attacking the cattle camps are not from Magwi. They come from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, facilitated by the Eastern Equatoria State Government,” he claimed.
Wai called on the National Government to investigate the matter, alleging that the attacks have left cattle keepers in a dire humanitarian situation.
He cautioned South Sudanese leaders to treat the citizens as sons and daughters of one nation.
GPAA Information and Communication Minister John Werchum Juk denied the involvement of the Murle youth.
He urged the Dinka Bor leadership to desist from the accusations but consult the concerned authorities for clarification.
Eastern Equatoria State Information and CommunicationMinister John Ahaji said security forces have been dispatched to protect both the farmers and cattle keepers and investigate the matter.
He added that Eastern Equatoria State Government was committed to reinstating normalcy.
“We have dispatched organized forces to conduct immediate investigations to establish the identity of those attackers, and to provide protection to the innocent displaced persons caught in the conflict,” he said.