Four people were killed, one was wounded and about 300 cattle were stolen in a nighttime raid in Jonglei State’s Twic East County, local authorities said.
County Commissioner Juac Arok Juac told Radio Tamazuj the attack occurred around 11 p.m. Tuesday after herders had gone to sleep.
“Armed assailants attacked a settlement along the Jonglei Canal on the outskirts of Panyagoor town, killing four people, including a woman,” he said. “One man was injured and about 300 cows were taken.”
Juac condemned the attack, which took place during the Christmas period, calling it unfortunate. He said authorities suspect armed youth from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, citing the direction the attackers fled and eyewitness accounts that they spoke the Murle language.
However, Jacob Werchum Jouk, the information minister of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said he was not aware of the incident or of any involvement by youth from the area.
Cattle raiding is common in Jonglei and the Greater Pibor area, where communities often clash over livestock, pasture and water. The violence is frequently driven by heavily armed youth and has persisted despite repeated government disarmament campaigns and peace initiatives.