On May 27, gunmen from Unity state’s Mayom County attacked and killed at least 15 people including women and children in villages in Gogrial East County. 17 more people were severely wounded according to authorities in the one attack.
Days following the attack, South Sudan lawmaker at the newly reconstituted parliament Salva Mathok Gengdit visited the area in which he reported by that security fragility was escalating and getting worse.
Mr. Gengdit recalled horrors of the attack in which he said a whole family was killed in the attack.
“The worst thing is that in one family killed in the attack, the husband, wife and children died. One child was 6 years old and another two children are 8 months and 6 months old,” the Juba-based Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying.
“The people in this village have fled due to fear inflicted by the attack. They have run into the bush. We want the people to return because this area is for farming,” Mathok added in the interview.
He appealed to the government of both Warrap and neighboring Unity state as well as President Salva Kiir’s security advisor Tutkew Gatluak to work towards end of these cross-border attacks between states.
“I call on the state government to look into the matter urgently so that people return to their home and start farming. Let the attack stop. It will encourage chaos and if Gogrial pick up guns, it will be difficult to control,” he noted.
“The only way is to make peace. Tut Galuak from Bentiu is the head of security and the advisor to the president and Joseph Nguen Monytuil who is the son of a renowned chief is the governor of Unity State and the brother of Tut Galuak is the commissioner. If they have powers, they have to stop the attacks. Enough is enough,” he added.