Warrap State authorities on Friday said the Buoyar community in Gogrial East County and the Abiem Mayar Mareng of Tonj North County had reconciled over a border dispute.
Officials said the Abiem Mayar Mareng had accused the Buoyar of performing rituals to strengthen them in attacks, the accusation the latter denied.
Killings, shooting at passersby and road robbery have been recorded this year along the Wau to Luony Aker road in Gogrial East, as both the Wau and Gogrial East communities claimed the Manyang area, according to officials.
Gogrial East County Commissioner William Duchak told Radio Tamazuj that they held a reconciliation meeting at Mayen Rual town of Gogrial East, with the acting Commissioner of Tonj North, Daniel Mangar Ayai.
“We held a peace meeting with my colleague at Mayen Rual town with the objective of bringing the two communities together because there was a misunderstanding since April which was likely to cause a conflict,” said Duchak.
“Some criminals from both sides encouraged cattle raids and the killing of people at Manyang area, which is in the middle of Gogrial East, Tonj North in Warrap State and Jur River in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State,” he explained.
Duchak said the Jur River County was not represented at the meeting, but expressed his confidence in the peace signed between the Apuk of Gogrial East and the Wau community of Warrap early this year.
He said the reported rituals by the Buoyar were in honor of those who were killed at the Manyang border, and not in preparation for attacks on the Abiem.
Ayai confirmed the peace meeting and urged the armed youth to refrain from acts of violence and instead venture in business.
“Manyang area is claimed by the Apuk and Wau communities and my Abiem area borders the two, so people were sometimes killed along the road by unknown criminals, creating suspicion that the Buoyar were responsible,” he said.