The local authorities in the Lakes State capital, Rumbek, have confirmed that fighting between armed cattle keepers from Rumbek Central and Cueibet counties after a cattle raid on Tuesday morning left 9 people dead and 3 others wounded in Rumbek Central County.
Lakes State Police Commissioner Major General Enock Machar Majok said security forces, comprising police and the army, were deployed to contain the clashes and that calm had been restored.
“The number of people killed from both sides during the fighting is less than 10, and the situation has been controlled,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Dr. Terran Madit Terran, a surgeon at Rumbek State Hospital, confirmed that 3 of the people injured in the fighting were admitted with gunshot wounds and that their condition is stable.
“The critical injuries are to the chest and stomach,” he said. “However, the majority of people with minor injuries on the legs and knees are being treated by their families in the villages due to fear of being arrested by the state government.”
For his part, Joseph Mading, a youth leader in Cueibet County, confirmed that 4 people were killed from their side.
“We have lost 4 people in the fighting, among them is my cousin”, he said. “The situation is relatively calm, but there is still tension and mobilization on both sides.”
He said the state government deployed a very small force only along the main roads, but that there is tension in the cattle camps.
Daniel Laat Kon, a Lakes State-based civil society activist, condemned the resumption of cattle rustling and resultant violence by armed youth.
“The fighting between the two sides has ceased, but tension between Cueibet and Rumbek Central remains very high,” he said. “The governor needs to reinforce order along the border of the two counties.”