ZCZC
BFF-31
SUDAN-TRIBAL-FIGHTING
At least 15 killed, 20 injured in South Sudan’s Jonglei state in tribal
fighting
JUBA, Nov 2, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – At least 15 people have been killed and
20 others injured in South Sudan’s Jonglei state in a communal violence that
has beset the area for the past three days, a local government official said
Friday.
Jonglei State Deputy Governor Agot Alier confirmed a group of armed Murle
men attacked Duk Payuel and Bor North County on Tuesday, killing 15 people
and wounded 20 others.
“On Oct. 30, a group of cattle rustlers suspected to be from Boma state
attacked the cattle camp in Poktap in Duk Payuel county while they were
grazing killing five people and wounded 14 others after a long hour of a
deadly fighting,” Alier told Xinhua by Phone in Juba.
The official said cattle’s owners and youth in the area managed to pursue
the attackers and recovered some herd of cattle, though the attackers run
away with approximately 10,000 cattle causing huge displacement from the
area.
Alier said the subsequent attack also occurred in Bor North county of Jalle
Payam on Wednesday, the same day the nation was jovially celebrating the
peace deal that saw the main opposition leader Riek Machar returned to the
capital after he fled the country in July 2016.
“On Oct. 31 there were again separate attacks in another county of Bor
North called Jalle where 10 people were killed and 6 others wounded,” he
said.
Aleir revealed that the seriously wounded victims of the two incidents were
transferred to Juba for medical treatment.
He urged the local communities in the area to remain peaceful despite the
deadly attack as the two state authorities intervene to end cattle raiding
and child abduction in the area.
Margret Gola, Boma State Information Minister, told Xinhua that her state
authorities have no knowledge of the incident, but said they will investigate
the matter and will work hard to hold the predators to justice.
“We didn’t hear of what happens in Bor but we will do our best to
investigate the incident and if we found out that the attackers are from Boma
state then we will hold them accountable,” Gola assured.
The Jonglei region bordering Ethiopia to the east has long been plagued by
ethnic fighting over cattle grazing grounds and access to water.
The region is prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle and
Dinka tribes who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other.
BSS/XINHUA/FI/ 1715 hrs