At least 1054 households who fled Mugali Payam are currently seeking shelter at the Church of Christ compound in Nimule Payam of Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State, local officials have said.
Last week, cattle rustlers attacked a kraal in the Jelle area of Nimule Payam and killed 4 cattle herders. The cattle owners then regrouped, followed the raiders, and clash with them in the Achwa and Owinykibul areas leading to the death of 3 more people from both sides before the cattle were recovered.
According to Alira William, the head chief of Nimule Payam, cattle herders stormed the area last week torturing the residents, looting and raping women leading to the displacement of the local population.
He said cattle are now being grazed in people’s compounds and gardens which created fear and eventual displacement.
“Right now people are in my Payam in Anzara Boma at the Church of Christ compound. These people are from Mugali. Even right now people are still coming,” Chief Alira said. “The number of displaced family heads is 1054 so using the standard WFP and UNHCR formula, you can multiply the number to give the real whole number of displaced people.”
“What I have seen with my eyes is that the (displaced) people are tortured by the herders. The herders have been interrogating the community members if they have they have seen their (herders’) cattle. They ask for money, break into houses and loot looted food, chicken and goats,” he added.
For his part, the youth leader of the Jieng community in the Madi corridor, Joseph Anyuat refuted the claims of torture and looting by the Mugali residents but instead accused cattle raiders of trying to rustle the pastoralists’ cattle leading to fear among the locals.
“It is the Monyiemiji (Lotuko youth) who came and wanted to raid our cattle and who do they think chased them (rustlers) away? The Monyiemiji came and fought with us and it is not good,” Anyuat explained. “We do not have a problem with the people of Mugali. They ran away because of the sounds of gunshots when we were fighting the raiders.”
The Magwi County commissioner, David Otto Remson, confirmed the displacement of people from Mugali Payam and blamed cattle keepers for all the insecurity in his county, and called for the evacuation of cattle to end insecurity.
“Most of the residents in the area are farmers. The problem now happening is cattle are coming to destroy the farms belonging to the people and they (herders) are looting the properties of the community,” he said. “How can youth come from Lotuka to come and loot and destroy? The youth of the cattle herders are the ones doing this to the people of Magwi and particularly on Acholi and Madi.
“Magwi is not a place for animals, they are supposed to remove the cattle and take them to their places of origin,” he added.