AWEIL – At least 24 people have been killed and 34 others injured following a night raid on Pa-Nhom-Aker cattle camp in Gogrial East County in South Sudan’s Warrap State, authorities said.
The attack occurred on Thursday at around 1:00 a.m. while residents were asleep at the cattle camp, located in a swampy area where herders had settled with their livestock in search of pasture.
Local officials said the assailants are believed to have come from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State. The attackers reportedly stormed the camp heavily armed and opened fire indiscriminately on civilians.
Warrap State Information Minister William Wol Mayom confirmed the incident, describing it as a coordinated assault on unarmed cattle keepers.
“What happened on 26 March 2026 is that an attack was carried out on local cattle keepers at a camp known as Pa-Nhom-Aker, a swampy area where herders graze their cattle,” he said.
“As the fighting ensued, the attackers killed 24 people, including five children and one SSPDF officer who was stationed in the area to provide security.”
Authorities said dozens of others sustained injuries during the attack and are currently receiving treatment, although conditions in the area remain challenging.
Wol said the attackers also made away with an unspecified number of cattle, reinforcing suspicions that the raid was part of a broader pattern of retaliatory violence between armed youth in Warrap and Unity states.
“The attackers retreated toward Mayom County with the looted cattle. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred,” he noted, referencing a February raid in Tonj North in which cattle herders were reportedly targeted by armed youth linked to Unity State.
The minister attributed the violence to a continuing cycle of revenge attacks along the border areas, where disputes over cattle frequently escalate into deadly confrontations.
In response, the Warrap State government has deployed additional security forces to Gogrial East and urged residents to remain calm as efforts are underway to stabilise the situation.
“I urge the community of Gogrial East to remain calm. The leadership of Governor Bol Wek Agoth is engaging relevant authorities in Mayom County to ensure the return of the looted cattle,” Wol said.
He added that the state government plans to revisit the “Northern Corridor Agreement” signed in 2015 between Warrap, Unity, and Lakes states as part of efforts to restore peace and promote coexistence along their shared borders.
Authorities said they could not immediately confirm casualties among the attackers, as local officials remain focused on burying the victims.
Attempts to obtain comment from Unity State officials were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
