At least one person was killed and 34 head of cattle raided by suspect Turkana tribesmen from kenya in the Mogila area of North Nadapal in Kapoeta East County, Eastern Equatoria State, on Thursday.
According to local authorities, armed Turkana Youth have continued to attack and threaten South Sudanese civilians along the border with Kenya even after several peace dialogues.
Kapoeta East Commissioner Abdallah Angelo Lokeno says the relationship between the bordering communities of Toposa and Turkana remains poor as two sides continue to accuse each other of fomenting insecurity.
In June, the Turkana County Government in Kenya and the Eastern Equatoria State authorities resolved to restore peace and unity among the neighbouring of communities.
Commissoner Lokeno said the incident happened on Thursday at 1 p.m. around the Mogila Mountain in Nadapal North and that he is in communication with his counterpart, the commissioner of Turkana, who promised to apprehend the perpetrators.
“Turkana youth on Thursday killed one person that side of Mogila Mountain in Nadapal and raided 34 head of cattle. The deceased was grazing his cattle and they killed him and since the Turkana have guns, we were unable to arrest them,” he said. “I have stopped my youth from engaging in any revenge attack and I have communicated with the Turkana chief on the Kenyan side and they were proposing a dialogue. I disagreed because we sat several times in the past so I told him that he better talk to his people to stop such acts.”
“The situation is still tense but vehicles are moving freely without interference,” Lokeno added.
For his part, Peter Lokeng Lotone, the Eastern Equatoria State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies, urged the communities inhabiting the common border not to take law into their hands.
“Our relationship with the Turkana is okay because some time back the governor of Eastern Equatoria State and the Governor of Turkana met to resolve the issues so that the two communities co-exist,” he counseled. “As the local government, we appeal to our people not to take law in their hands because it will not help. Let the government handle any disputed because we are responsible for border issues.”
Meanwhile, Lotyang Francis, a civil society activist in Eastern Equatoria State, condemned the cyclic killings and cattle raids and urged the state government to protect citizens along border.
“These crimes are always occurring along the border and as civil society, we condemn them. The work of the government is to protect citizens. It is so unfortunate that the Turkana took cows and someone lost a life,” he said. “The Government of South Sudan should engage the Government of Kenya and they should work together to resolve the disputes at the border which have been existing all along.”
Efforts to reach the Turkana County Government for comment were futile.