SSPDF soldiers open fire on Rubkona County youth trying to recover stolen cattle – commissioner

JUBA, JANUARY 8^TH 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan army in the border area between Rubkona County of Unity State and Aliny County of Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA) on Thursday opened fire on a group of youth from Rubkona County who were trying to recover stolen cattle by armed youth from their northern neighbor.

Yesterday, a state government official from the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) told Sudans Post that an attack on a cattle camp resulted in the killing of at least two people and wounding of two others, pointing out that authorities in Bentiu were investigating the incident and would take necessary measures.

When contacted by Sudans Post, one of the camp leaders who preferred not to be named said the attack happened on January 5^th 2023 at Nokpuot, an are north of Rubkona County in the border with Ruweng Administrative Area, when armed youth from Aliny County attacked before making it away with at least 300 herds of cattle.

“While grazing our cattle in Nokpuot, the raiders who came from Aliny County opened fire on us. Our youth returned fire but they were overwhelmed by the attackers and the criminals managed to dislodge us before returning to where they came from with at least 300 cows,” the camp leader said on condition of anonymity.

The camp leader further said that local youth mobilized a few minutes later and followed the attackers who he said fled with the cattle to a SSPDF barrack to seek protection and that SSPDF soldiers who were asked by the youth to return cattle opened fire on the youth killing two people and wounding two more.

“After a while, some youth from Rubkona followed the raiders and managed to recover some cows, however after their defeat they run to an SSPDF barrack with the raided cattle and left them in the barrack.  Our youth requested the commander of SSPDF to hand over the cows to the rightful owners, the commander refuses,” he said.

“After a lengthy discussion with the youth, the soldiers in the barrack deliberately opened fire at Rubkona youth in an attempt to chase them out. They exchanged fire which resulted into death of two youth and two sustained injuries,” he added.

When contacted by Sudans Post, Rubkona County commissioner Gatluak Wichar Nyah confirmed and condemned the incident as a violation to the implementation process of the revitalized peace agreement and called on the SSPDF in Ruweng Administrative Area authorities to return the cattle and hold the perpetrators who opened fire on civilians into account.

“Yes, and this is the second raid by RAA youth on Rubkona cattle camps. On 3^rd December last year, Youth from Ruweng administrative Area carried out raid which led to loss of one person from Rubkona County in addition to several other injuries. Since the incident happened, I have made several attempts to meet with Aliny commissioner to resolve this repeatedly cattle raids in borders area, until now, I have not received any positive response,” he said from Rubkona town.

“It is very unfortunate that soldiers act unprofessionally and therefore call upon the command of SSPDF and RAA authorities to investigate how did this happened and to bring the perpetrators to book,” he said.