Two unidentified cattle raiders were killed during an attack that took place in Mankien payam, in Unity state's Mayom county. Sources said the “armed criminals”, who came from Mayien Jur in Gogorial east county, were shot dead by cattle owners “who were defending their property”.

An eyewitness speaking to Radio Tamazuj said “one of the dead criminals was wearing SPLA uniform” while the other was in prison warden's clothes, commonly known as Sijun. He added that three cattle raiders were seriously injured during the attack, noting the cattle have not yet been recovered.

The Commissioner of Mayom county John Bol confirmed all allegations above, as stated by the eyewitness, noting the “criminals were well-armed and were carrying two heavy PKM weapons and riffles”. A citizen seized one PKM, which is now being held by the commissioner.

“On 26 September at 11am local time the criminals raided ten cattle. Two of them were killed and three cattle owners were injured: one of them sustained six bullet wounds and is currently being treated in Mayien Jur. The other two had their legs broken by gunshots and were referred to traditional doctors,” Bol said.

The commissioner explained that “criminals” commonly wear different uniforms, such as from the police, SPLA, or prison wardens. He suggested that the Minister of Defense deploys neutral forces to monitor the borders and repel criminals who “are giving civilians a hard time”.

Commissioner Bol has reportedly asked his counterpart in Mayien Jur about the attacks and asked him to follow-up and recover the cattle raided.

Radio Tamazuj was unable to contact the commissioner of Mayien Jur to verify the claims. It is not the first time the two counties have accused each other from crossing their borders for cattle raiding.

Photo: Cattle in South Sudan (UN Photo/Tim McKulka)