Armed raiders stole more than 300 head of cattle from herdsmen in a dawn attack Saturday, an incident that has heightened fears of renewed violence between communities in two counties of South Sudan’s Jonglei State, local officials confirmed.
The raid took place in the early hours in Poktap town, located in Duk County. The cattle belonged to herders from neighboring Twic East County who had moved their animals there in search of pasture, according to Juach Arok, the commissioner of Twic East County.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Commissioner Arok directly accused armed young men from Duk County of carrying out the raid and condemned the attack.
“Those who raided the cattle are criminals from Duk,” Arok said. “The camp was combined with both people from Twic East and Duk, but only cattle from Twic East were taken.”
He called on his counterpart in Duk County to take immediate action. “I urge my counterpart in Duk to immediately arrest the perpetrators, bring them to book, and ensure the swift return of the raided cattle to their rightful owners,” Arok said. He added that there were no immediate reports of casualties.
John Chatim, the commissioner of Duk County, confirmed that a raid had occurred and that suspects from his county were believed to be responsible. However, he was more cautious about the details.
“A raid did occur, and we are aware of it, but I cannot confirm at this time if the cattle belong to keepers from Twic East only or from Duk also,” Chatim said. He added that local police have been ordered to pursue the raiders and recover the stolen livestock.
The incident raises concerns about a potential escalation of inter-communal conflict in the area. The two counties were recently involved in fighting over a disputed fishing island known as Buoth Agany.
Both commissioners said they are working to prevent further violence in the wake of the cattle raid.