Nine killed, six wounded in fresh attacks in South Sudan’s Ruweng

PARIANG – At least nine people were killed and six others wounded in coordinated attacks on two locations in South Sudan’s Ruweng Administrative Area on Sunday night, local authorities said, blaming armed youth from neighbouring Unity State for the violence.

The attacks occurred at around 11 p.m. local time in Bhal Payam of Lake-No County and Pochod Boma in Alilang Payam of Aliny County, according to Tony Chol Ayat, Ruweng’s caretaker minister of information.

Speaking to Sudans Post, Ayat said the attackers raided nearly 1,000 head of cattle and set fire to several homes and cattle shelters before fleeing. He said local armed youth pursued the assailants, although the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths remained unclear.

“In Bhal Payam, two men, one young woman and one child were among those wounded, along with two other women,” he said.

Ayat said 501 head of cattle were stolen from Bhal Payam, while five cattle byres and 15 huts were destroyed during the attack.

In a separate assault on Pochod Boma, two men were killed and 471 head of cattle were stolen, while four cattle byres and one hut were burned, according to the minister.

“Nine additional huts at the petroleum protection barracks in Nyoklith were also burned,” he said.

Ayat accused armed youth from the Bul and Leek communities in neighbouring Unity State of carrying out the attacks, although he did not provide evidence establishing their involvement.

“We extend our condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he said.

However, Unity State’s caretaker minister of information, Nyakenya Johannes Keah Ruai, said authorities had not yet established the identities of those responsible and were investigating the incident.

“We’re still trying to find out exactly who those people who carried out the attacks. So if you may bear with us, let us do the investigation first,” she told Sudans Post.

Ruai said Unity State authorities had contacted county commissioners in Ruweng and dispatched security personnel to establish what had happened on the ground.

The latest attacks come less than two weeks after at least eight people were killed and seven others wounded when armed assailants attacked Panlou village near Pariang town on October 6.

Ruweng authorities at the time suspected the attackers had come from Mayom County in Unity State, although local officials in Mayom did not confirm the allegation.

The October 6 attack reportedly lasted about four hours, with local security forces responding to the gunfire before the attackers withdrew. Two suspected attackers were subsequently detained, according to Ruweng officials.

The violence follows a series of deadly assaults and cattle raids along the border between Ruweng and Unity State, where disputes over grazing land, livestock and territorial boundaries have repeatedly triggered armed confrontations.

In June 2025, six people were reported killed and six others wounded during a cattle raid in Panlou near Pariang, with local authorities accusing armed youth from Unity State of stealing approximately 1,000 cattle.

Earlier, in March 2026, an attack on Abiemnom in Ruweng Administrative Area killed at least 122 people, including 82 civilians, according to an initial account by local authorities.

The identities of the attackers and their motives had not been established at the time.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has previously warned that cattle raiding, retaliatory attacks and unresolved border disputes continue to fuel violence between communities in Unity State and Ruweng.

The latest attacks have renewed concerns over civilian security in the border areas, where repeated incidents of cattle theft and armed violence have undermined efforts by local authorities and community leaders to restore peace.