The Minister of Information in Buma has said that armed youth have attacked two localities in the state.

Achon John said the youth entered and took control of Partet and Manyabol villages in Gumuruk County yesterday.

He said this has caused civilians in the two areas to flee their homes to the bush.

“Those people attacked and headed to Manyabol so they are now in Manyabol. The civil populations fled to forest, they have scattered into the forests,” Mr Achon said.

Mr. Achon told Eye Radio that there is currently no communication with those who fled because of network issues.

“If there are deaths or wounded people … No networks but if there are people who reach up to Pibor we will get reports,” he said, accusing youth from Jonglei of attacking.

“Now we need people of Jonglei state to talk to their youth so they return because they have committed devastation but let them return so that we see the procedures of peace,” he said.

The leader of the youth in Jonglei State, Ayuen Guet, has confirmed that they were in Manyabol but claimed that the area does not belong to Buma.

He told Eye Radio that they have been in the area for a month now, waiting for their stolen cattle and abducted children to be returned.

“The Minister of Information said we came to their areas but we didn’t reach to their areas. These are our areas. We are in Kachtong, we are in Pan Mach-bol [Manyabol]. These are our borders,” he told Eye Radio. “Since last month, we were there and we didn’t make any attack.”

He said state authorities said last month that the cattle and abducted children and been collected.

“I told them let them hand it over to UNMISS and they will bring it for us and we are for peace. I told them this time, we will come as the leaders of youth at the border and we will implement it. But the Buma, they did not make response to return the cattle and children back up to now,” Mr Ayuen said.

Last month, the Jonglei youth entered Buma, saying they were searching for their abducted children and stolen cattle.

Officials in Buma said the youth should have given more time for the cattle to be returned.

Both the governor of Jonglei and the deputy governor of Buma urged both sides to remain calm in implement resolutions of a previous peace conference.