At least 72 people have been killed and 38 others wounded in South Sudan cattle raids in Warrap State, the state government said on Monday, in one of the deadliest outbreaks of communal violence in the country this year.
The co-ordinated attacks struck Akop Payam in Tonj North County, near the border between Warrap and Unity states, where homes were set on fire, cattle were driven away and two markets were burned, according to the state government statement.
FAKTA
- At least 72 people killed and 38 wounded in co-ordinated cattle raids in Akop Payam, Tonj North County, Warrap State.
- The state government says 50 of those killed were from the attacking side and 22 from the community that was targeted.
- Cattle were taken from the Majak-kou cattle camp, and the markets at Athieng-puol and Rual-malith were burned.
- Warrap State blames armed elements from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State and sub-sections of Alabek Payam.
- The casualty figures have not been independently verified.
The South Sudan cattle raids in Akop Payam
Warrap State’s caretaker information minister, William Wol Mayom Bol, said the attack was a co-ordinated assault on communities in Akop Payam. Members of the Lou Ariik community were reported to have attacked members of the Apuk Padoch community, according to the state authorities.
The state government said armed elements from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State and sub-sections of Alabek Payam were involved in the attack. Authorities in Unity State and Mayom County were not immediately available for comment.
Caretaker Governor Angelo Ngot Mayar sent condolences to the bereaved families and directed security agencies to deploy to the area and evacuate the wounded for treatment. The state government said Warrap and Unity states are establishing communications to recover the raided cattle and identify those responsible.
Cattle are central to life and livelihoods in Warrap State, where herds are a source of wealth and pride. (Watan News)
A cycle of revenge attacks
The state government linked the latest violence to a cycle of revenge attacks, saying it followed a targeted killing in Mading-Juer on October 24 that claimed eight lives, including a girl.
Cattle are a main source of wealth and pride for many communities in South Sudan, and are also needed by young men as dowries to marry, which makes herds a frequent target of raids and a driver of retaliatory violence. Clashes over territory are also common across the country.
The same area of Warrap State has seen repeated bloodshed this year. At least 60 people were killed and 50 injured in an attack there in August, and 58 people died in a similar incident in March, according to the ACLED conflict monitor. Last year, a six-month state of emergency was declared in Warrap in an effort to quell the rising violence.
What happens next
The state government has appealed to humanitarian partners to support women, children and elderly people left without food, shelter and medicine, and urged residents to stay calm and avoid further retaliatory attacks.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, is preparing for its first election since independence, delayed because of a brutal civil war. The United Nations has voiced concern about the situation in the country as the vote approaches in December.
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