At least seven people were killed and four others wounded in a cattle raid in Twic County, Warrap State, on Tuesday, local authorities said.
Officials said armed youths, suspected to have come from Mayom County in Unity State, attacked the Ayen Amuol cattle camp, raiding several herds.
Efforts by cattle owners and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) to recover the stolen livestock were unsuccessful.
Natale Nhial, Twic County’s executive director, told Radio Tamazuj that the attackers struck around 2 p.m. local time. “The raiders immediately shot seven people when the camp’s defenders resisted. Three others were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at Mother Teresa Hospital in Turalei,” he said.
Nhial added that the attackers, armed with heavy weapons, retreated into swampy areas after the raid. He warned that the continued presence of armed civilians in the region has made it unsafe for herders to graze their cattle, raising doubts about recovering the stolen livestock.
Jackson Mut, commissioner of Mayom County, confirmed that forces had been deployed to intercept the raiders. “We alerted Twic authorities three days ago about armed youths living along the border. When the raid occurred, the governor immediately dispatched forces, but the raiders remain in the swampy areas,” he said.
South Sudan continues to grapple with insecurity, communal violence, and economic hardship, despite a 2018 peace agreement signed by major political parties. Localized conflicts and attacks on civilians remain a persistent challenge in the world’s youngest nation.