The leadership of the Tore Community of Central Equatoria State’s Yei River County has appealed to the government and the leaders of pastoralists in the area to work to return livestock that were raided from local communities in recent weeks.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Ali Hassan Juma, the chairperson of the Tore Community, said herders raided livestock belonging to the locals in almost all the villages of Tore Payam.
“The cattle herders came to Mapoko and Goli and took livestock like cows, goats, and sheep, and they left nothing. We, people of Tore, are peaceful, and I am appealing to the cattle keepers to return what they have taken from us,” he said. “If they do not know how to return them, they should report to the payam or county authorities, and the rightful owners will come for what is theirs.”
“The local authorities are aware of what is going on because we are always in communication with our people on the ground who give the right information,” Hassan added.
He said most people fled during the raids and that no one has been killed, but said herders should leave the area because the cultivation season is about to commence.
“These people and their cattle should leave because it is time for farming, and cattle destroy people’s crops, and that will bring hunger,” he said.
The continued movement of cattle herders, specifically in areas of Yei, Lainya, Morobo, and Kajo-Keji counties of Central Equatoria State, has often led to conflict between herders and farmers.