Five civilians were killed and four others wounded during a cattle raid by armed assailants in Otallo, an area in Pochalla County of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), local officials and residents said.
Otallo hosts the palace of King Akway Agada Akway Cham of the Anyuak Nyiodolla Royal Dynasty.
The attack began on Friday afternoon and resumed on Saturday morning, following a series of security incidents that have heightened fears among residents.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, Lt Col Amat Ochan, the county police inspector, accused armed men from the neighbouring Murle community of carrying out the attack.
“On Saturday, suspected Murle criminals attacked cattle herders about 10 minutes from the king’s palace,” he said.
He identified those killed as Ojulu Olok Opiew, Didimo Ochalla Didimo, Odhiang Ochalla, Obang Owar and Omot Ochalla Didimo. Three of the victims were members of the same family.
Ochan identified the four wounded as Thwol Omot Ochalla, Gugo Onyango, Okumo Ochalla Othay and Ochan Ogut Othay. He said two of the injured were also members of the same family and had been taken to neighbouring Ethiopia after receiving initial treatment at Pochalla Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC).
The county police inspector said all the cattle stolen during the raid had been recovered.
He added that a mobile phone believed to belong to one of the attackers had been recovered at the scene.
“Local youth recovered a phone from one of the attackers. The names saved in the phone indicate that the attackers are of Murle ethnicity. Our detectives will investigate the phone recovered by local youth to establish further details about the assailants,” he said.
Othow Okoti, a former local official and activist, condemned the attack and said two of the four wounded people were in critical condition. He added that they had been evacuated outside the county for further medical treatment.
“The four injured people were taken to a health facility in Pochalla town for treatment. Efforts to evacuate them to Juba by the Red Cross were unsuccessful because the ICRC had no available admission space. They were therefore evacuated to neighbouring Ethiopia, where they are receiving treatment,” Okoti said.
Radio Tamazuj was unable to reach Greater Pibor Information Minister Jacob Werchum Jouk for comment.
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