Authorities in Kapoeta South and Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State, have launched an investigation into the killing of three people in Marira Boma, Ngauro Payam.
The investigation comes after groups of youth from Kapoeta South and Budi clashed at a cattle camp on October 26, leaving three people dead and three others injured.
Local authorities said the injured were currently undergoing treatment at the Kapoeta Civil Hospital and Budi Primary Health Care Center.
Kapoeta South County Executive Director Justine Juma told Radio Tamazuj that they had launched an investigation into the incident.
Juma said the cause of the clashes where the two communities graze their animals was not clear.
“Some youth clashed and about three people were injured. They fought where they have had previous clashes and I cannot tell who started attacking the other,” he added.
The official said the death toll could be much higher.
Ngauro Payam Paramount Chief William Lokang Lotukalem also confirmed the incident, but dismissed the reported death toll, insisting only one person died.
Lotukalem said youth suspected to be from Kapoeta South stormed kraals in Marira village where they clashed with the local counterparts who averted livestock theft.
The chief urged the civilians to live in peace with their neighbors.
The Community Engagement Development and Resilience (CEDAR) Project Officer, Philip Ochieng, welcomed the government’s call for justice against the perpetrators of the killings.
He urged the Kapoeta South and Budi communities to dialogue and accept reconciliation as the only means to settling disputes.