Armed youth from Unity State seize control of Abiemnom

BENTIU – Armed youth from Mayom County of South Sudan’s Unity State have attacked and seized control of Abiemnom town, the capital of Abiemnom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area, the county commissioner confirmed.

In a phone interview with Sudans Post this afternoon, Abiemnom County Commissioner Mario Deng Ayot, speaking from a forested area, said the youth from Mayom County launched a raid on cattle and goats yesterday, resulting in four deaths and six injuries.

“Yesterday, in the afternoon around 1:00 PM, there were cows grazing outside Abiemnom. The youth from Mayom County attacked and took the cows. They later returned and took goats. In the attack, they killed four people and wounded six others,” Deng said.

He added that despite prior discussions with the authorities in Mayom County, the youth returned and attacked Abiemnom County headquarters this morning, capturing the town and its administrative center at around 7:00AM.

“They came from Mayom County. We know them, they live with us in Abiemnom, they eat with us. This morning, they attacked my office at the county headquarters and took control of the town,” Deng said.

Deng, who sought refuge in Biemkat, a neighborhood separated by a single-lane bridge over a small river, reported that the attackers had set several houses on fire but could not provide an exact count of the damage.

“I don’t know how many houses have been set on fire exactly, but they have set a few houses on fire. Now I am talking to you from the forest. The attackers are many, and we can’t resist them. They are still in the town,” he said.

Deng mentioned that he had spoken with the Mayom County commissioner yesterday, who had assured him that the situation was under control, but Deng expressed surprise at the scale of the attack this morning.

He said he had informed state authorities in Parieng about the developments.

“Yesterday, I spoke to the commissioner. He said there was nothing, but there was something. I don’t know how many people have been killed because I can’t return to count the bodies,” Deng said.

“I have spoken to the chief administrator, and he said he will speak with the governor of Unity State,” he added, noting that the attack was “very heavy” and that local law enforcement could not resist the attackers.

Efforts to reach Mayom County Commissioner were unsuccessful. A state government official in Bentiu told Sudans Post that the commissioner had turned off all his phones and had not been reachable since yesterday.