BOR — At least 44 head of cattle were raided, and a mother and her child were abducted in separate incidents in Duk County in Jonglei State of South Sudan, a local official said on Saturday.
John Chatim Reath, the Commissioner of Duk County, told Sudans Post on Saturday that two incidents took place—one on Friday in Duk Padiet and another on Saturday in Poktap.
The attack was reported to have been conducted by suspected armed youths from the nearby Greater Pibor Administrative Area, according to Chatim.
“Yesterday (Friday) at around 4PM armed youth from Greater Pibor Administrative Area raided around 44 herds of cattle, and the local youths are following their footprints, and as we talk the youth are still following them and have not returned home yet,” said Chatim.
Chatim alleged that the armed youth from Pibor attacked Duk Padiet on Friday and stole 44 cattle from local herders.
He stated that in a separate incident, a woman and her child were abducted while returning from Poktap, and their whereabouts are still unknown.
“Today (Saturday) there were women coming from Poktap to Padiet; the armed youths also ambushed them and abducted one child and the mother, and the area youths also responded and are still following them now, but still no results.”
“These repeated incidents are a threat to peace and stability. We urge our neighboring communities from GLAD to refrain from such criminal acts and work with us to maintain harmony,” he said.
Cattle raids and child abductions remain common in parts of Jonglei State, often fueling cycles of revenge and insecurity among neighboring communities.
