A woman was killed, two men injured and at least 59 herds of cattle raided in separate attacks in parts of Jonglei state over the weekend, authorities have said.
“On 26 December in the Dengjok area, a Payam of Akobo County, 12 cows were stolen while grazing, while 22 cattle were also taken by the same group in the Buong area. On the same day, in Pathai Village of Uror County, some locals were attacked while heading to Ayod, leaving a woman dead and two men injured,” John Daniel Bol, an SPLM-IO spokesperson in the greater Lou area, told Radio Tamazuj Monday.
The SPLM-IO official, however, claimed that the area is calm despite the incidents.
“There were no human casualties in Dengjok and Buong. Our youth managed to recover the cattle stolen from Buong. A search is ongoing to recover the remaining cattle from those criminals,” he added.
John Daniel accused criminal groups from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) of carrying out the attacks.
John Kel Mayul, a lawmaker representing Uror County in the state legislative assembly confirmed the incidents, pointing out that the locals live in fear of an imminent attack.
Meanwhile, in Duk County’s Pathat village, at least 25 cows were stolen during a raid by a group of criminals suspected to have come from Greater Pibor on Sunday, according to Philip Thon Leek, a lawmaker representing the area in the national legislative assembly.
The lawmaker pointed out that the local youth are still pursuing the attackers.
Radio Tamazuj was unable to get Pibor authorities for comment.
Last week, Peter Lebelek, the Secretary-General of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said they were committed to bringing peace in Greater Jonglei through the ongoing peace initiative, describing the recurring attacks as isolated.