At least 36 head of cattle were stolen during a raid by gunmen in Uror County in Jonglei state on Thursday, the police said.
Lt. Col. Peter Gatbel Machar, the county police inspector, told Radio Tamazuj that the raiders went away with the animals while they were being grazed in the outskirts of the Pamai area in Uror County’s Wickol Payam on Thursday afternoon.
The police officer said details of casualties remain scanty because the attackers were still being pursued.
“The incident occurred this (Thursday) afternoon at noon. 36 cows were taken but no one was killed. However, we do not know what happened as cattle owners are following the attackers to retrieve their animals,” he said. “Causalities might be reported when those pursuing the rustlers find them. Also, there have been reports of armed Murle being spotted in the county.”
On his part, Machot Gatluak Kenyjak, the Uror County commissioner, said the details of the incident are scanty and that there has been an uneasy calm in the county over the past weeks because gunmen suspected to be cattle raiders were spotted in the bushes.
“The general situation is okay but the biggest problem is that a large number of armed Murle youth were spotted in the bushes,” he said.