KUAJOK – At least four people were killed and five others injured on Thursday afternoon after armed raiders attacked herders and drove off about 3,000 cattle in Nyal-abek village in Gogrial East County of South Sudan’s Warrap State, local authorities have said.
According to local officials, the incident unfolded at around 2:00 p.m. when heavily armed raiders attacked herders in the area, driving away a large number of cattle. Three people were reportedly killed on the spot, while a fourth later died from injuries sustained during the attack after being taken to a health facility.
Thiik Agoth, the Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Gogrial East County, said the attackers made off with more than 3,000 head of cattle, heading in the direction of Mayom County.
“What happened is that over 3,000 cattle were driven towards Mayom County by suspects believed to be from that area, as they were seen moving in that direction with the looted cattle,” Agoth explained.
He added that armed youth from the local community pursued the raiders, managing to recover some of the stolen cattle. However, clashes ensued during the pursuit, resulting in further casualties. “The armed youth ran after them and retrieved some cattle, and three people were killed among the fighters on both sides,” Agoth said.
The fighting left five people wounded on both sides of the conflict. One of the injured later succumbed to his wounds at a health facility, bringing the total number of deaths to four. “After the incident, one person was taken seriously wounded and later died from his injuries,” Agoth narrated.
Following the deployment of security forces to the scene, authorities made a troubling discovery. Agoth said some of the deceased were found wearing military-style uniforms resembling those of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The casualties found on the ground were wearing uniforms similar to those worn by Sudanese forces,” he said, suggesting the attackers may have recently crossed back from Sudan or used the uniforms as a disguise to conceal their identities.
Unity State denies involvement
Contrary to the suggestion that the suspected attackers were armed youth from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State, authorities in Bentiu denied involvement of its youth in the reported raid and attack.
“The Government of Unity State categorically disputes and rejects the assertion that armed elements from Unity State were responsible for the alleged raiding,” said Unity State Ministry of Information and Communication on Sunday.
The ministry, citing “credible and verified information available to Unity State authorities”, claimed that the cattle raid was carried out by members of the Baar community from Wut-Wut and Luanyaker areas of Gogrial East County, who reportedly attacked a cattle camp in the Apuk area of Warrap State.
“Our sources further confirm that inter-community fighting within Warrap State has been ongoing for over a week, and it is most likely within this context that the tragic loss of three lives occurred. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray that their souls rest in eternal peace,” says the statement.
The incident has renewed concerns over persistent insecurity in Warrap State, particularly the effectiveness of the ongoing forceful disarmament campaign launched by the state government under Governor Bol Wek Agoth. Despite the declaration of a state of emergency and military operations aimed at curbing armed youth activity, cattle raids and retaliatory violence continue to plague communities.
