Louis Lobong, the Governor of Eastern Equatoria state, talk about looming hunger in the state - credit | Charles Wote/Eye Radio | Nov. 16, 2021

The Governor of Eastern Equatoria State has condemned Sunday’s attack on a cattle camp in Magwi County.

Governor Louis Lobong says the attack led to loss of lives and destruction of property.

He condemned the acts of violence and appealed to South Sudanese to respect human lives and denounce violence as a means of settling disputes.

In a statement seen by Eye Radio Governor Lobong called on the national government to quickly intervene before the conflict escalates out of proportion.

“I call on the national government to quickly intervene before the conflict escalates out of proportion,” Governor Lobong stated in a statement.

“As a government we strongly condemned the act of violence, the destruction of farms and the displacement of the native population.

“We called for respect for the native population on the same note we called on the entire citizen of Eastern Equatoria State to denounce the use of violence in addressing their grievances.”

Governor Lobong called for dialogue between the farmers and the cattle keepers to find amicable short-term modalities for co-existence, while the cattle keepers work on an urgent exit strategy.

He further urged the humanitarian agencies to urgently provide assistance to the people who have been displaced by the incident.

Lobong revealed that the State Government is dispatching a fact finding Committee to Magwi to establish the actual situation on the ground.