At least five people were killed and scores wounded in inter-communal fighting in South Sudan’s Lakes state, a lawmaker said Saturday.
The clashes occurred Wednesday and Thursday in Cueibet County between the Panyar and Ruotruot sections of the Gok community, said Manyot Magar, a member of the national parliament representing the county.
Magar, from the opposition party SPLM-IO, told Radio Tamazuj that armed youths from the Ruotruot section raided cattle from the Panyar section. During a pursuit to recover the animals, fighting broke out, leaving four Panyar cattle owners and one Ruotruot raider dead.
The violence took place even as a state peace delegation led by Governor Rin Tueny Mabor and veteran politician Daniel Awet Akot was holding meetings in the county aimed at reconciliation.
“That incident took place in the presence of Governor Rin Tueny and Awet Akot in Cueibet county,” Magar said. He added that no security forces were sent to prevent the fighting and that some wounded individuals avoided hospitals for fear of arrest.
Magar cited a prolonged local power vacuum and lack of government infrastructure as contributing factors. “There is no government in Cueibet county,” he said, criticizing the current state-appointed acting commissioner as incapable of controlling the situation.
He called on President Salva Kiir Mayardit to speedily appoint an SPLM-IO nominee as county commissioner, as outlined in the peace agreement.
Daniel Laat Kon, coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) in Lakes state, confirmed the fighting and expressed concern.
“A few days’ visit alone cannot solve the problem in Cueibet county and is not enough,” he said, referring to the governor’s delegation.
He emphasized the need for sustained confidence-building dialogue and the appointment of a permanent commissioner, stating the power vacuum has enabled criminal activities and revenge attacks.
Cattle raiding is a common trigger for violence in most parts of South Sudan, often exacerbating local tensions.