Dozens of cattle raided from Misseriya Arab herdsmen in West Kordofan have been returned after being recovered in Bul Nuer territory of northwest Unity State, according to a local official.

Mayom County Commissioner John Bol said that the cattle were raided from the Misseriya Awlad Umran tribe by a “small number of criminals” hailing from both his county and neighboring Rubkona County on 9 February.

The commissioner told Radio Tamazuj that he sent back 86 head of cattle after a delegation of Misseriya visited Mayom to discuss the issue.

On the other side, Hamdi Al Dodo, one of the emirs of the Misseriya tribe, confirmed that 70 to 80 cows have been returned to the Misseriya from Unity State, while stressing that the raiders had actually taken a far larger number of cattle that have still not been returned.  

He said the returned cattle had been taken in a raid earlier this month in which 13 herders of the Misseriya Awlad Umran were reported killed in the Al-Dihin area, which is located east of Abyei and north of Unity State.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj today, Hamdi claimed that more than 2,500 head of cattle were taken by the raiders from Al-Dihin area, while also denying that the perpetrators were common criminals.

Instead, he said, the raiders are affiliated with the armed forces of South Sudan. The raiding party consisted of as many as 80 men, he noted. “What kind of thieves are these?” he said.

The emir also reported that another cattle raid took place earlier this month against the Misseriya Mazagna, at a place called Khashkash. He said 450 cattle were taken in that raid.

Related:

Nuer, Misseriya clash over cattle along Unity-Sudan border (12 Feb.)