The number of people killed in the clashes between the Pakam community of Lakes State’s Rumbek North County and the Luacjang community of Warrap’s Tonj East County on Tuesday has risen to 36, officials said.
Warrap State information minister, William Wol Mayom, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that 25 people from the Luacjang community of Tonj East County were killed in the clashes.
“25 people have been confirmed dead and 15 others including two children and one woman were wounded,” he revealed.
Wol claimed that over 70 cattle were killed in the crossfire and 60 cattle were raided by the Pakam armed youth who attacked the Malith and Panyang cattle camps.
“The government has dispatched a team of investigators comprising politicians and intellectuals to the area. Investigations are going on as the government organized forces have been deployed to deescalate the situation between Tonj East and Rumbek North counties,” he said.
“Whether the lands belong to Pakam or Luacjang community that’s not the issue now, but our issue is the incident that happened, and we condemned it in the strongest term possible,” he added.
He said the two governments of Lakes and Warrap will dispatch joint investigation teams over the territorial claims between Rumbek North and Tonj East counties and there shall be an inter-state peace conference to be organized by the two state governments.
Tonj East County Commissioner, John Deng kook said the clashes erupted when Pakam youth attacked Luacjang community cattle camps in an attempt to raid cattle.
“These areas were occupied by huge number of cattle from Luacjang community at Luacjang Toch Wetlands. But, the youth from Rumbek North county carried on an attack in the land of Luacjang community,” he said.
For his part, the police chief inspector in Rumbek North county of Lakes State, James Nak said that 11 people were killed and 20 others wounded in the clashes from the Pakam community.
“We have 20 people wounded, 11 killed, and more houses were burned in Malith, Biar, and Panyang villages. There are people wounded in the bushes and some are still being collected and brought to the health facility in Rumbek North County,” he said.
According to him, the situation is calm in Rumbek North County since the clashes.
“There has never been a peace dialogue organized by Lakes and Warrap State’s government for Pakam and Luacjang communities. Their peace dialogue is always conducted between these two communities on telephones and peace between telephones cannot hold,” he said.