Tensions remain high between the Panyar and Ruotruot communities in Cueibet County, Lakes State, following a series of deadly clashes earlier this week that have now left at least six people dead.
According to local officials and civil society leaders, the violence stems from an escalating dispute between the Panyar of Tiaptiap Payam and the Ruotruot of Citcok Payam. Monday’s clashes initially resulted in five deaths, with a sixth person killed in what authorities described as a revenge attack on Wednesday morning.
“A group of youth from the Panyar community carried out a retaliatory attack on the Ruotruot community on Wednesday, killing one person before fleeing back to Tiaptiap Payam,” said Mathew Manyot Magar, a national parliament member representing Cueibet County under the SPLM-IO party.
Magar warned that both communities are mobilizing for further violence and that tensions could spiral if the national and state governments do not intervene promptly.
“There is serious mobilization happening. If the government continues to delay sending in security forces, we are likely to see large-scale intercommunal fighting,” he told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday.
He attributed the continued violence to a lack of governance in the area, following the suspension of the Cueibet County commissioner and executive director.
“I tried to reach out to the governor of Lakes State, Rin Tueny Mabor, to alert him to the deteriorating situation, but he didn’t answer my calls or respond to my messages,” Magar said. “There is a leadership vacuum, and the presence of the minister of local government acting as commissioner has not been effective in restoring calm.”
Root causes of the violence
The conflict reportedly began over a failed marriage arrangement. A young man from the Panyar community had given cattle as bride price for a woman from the Ruotruot community. However, the woman later refused to marry him and eloped with a man from the Kongor community.
“The girl’s relatives eventually accepted additional cattle from the Kongor man’s family and left the girl with them,” Magar explained. “When the Ruotruot family returned, they called on the Panyar suitor to collect his cattle. After doing so, members of the Panyar group fired shots into the air at a Ruotruot cattle camp in protest.”
This led to a confrontation between youth from both communities. What began as a verbal dispute escalated into stone-throwing, stick fighting, and eventually an exchange of gunfire.
Civil society response
Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist in Lakes State, said that while there is currently no active fighting, the situation remains volatile.
“There is a relative calm, but people are grieving and preparing for potential revenge. The separation between the two communities has prevented more attacks, but the tension is still there,” he said.
Laat echoed calls for the urgent appointment of a commissioner to address the leadership vacuum in the county.
“We have engaged the government multiple times to either reinstate the suspended commissioner or appoint a new one,” he said. “There has been no clear communication on why the former commissioner was suspended, and this lack of leadership is part of the reason for the continued instability.”
He added that political disagreements should not take precedence over community safety.
“The lives of citizens must be prioritized above political disputes,” Laat said.