A section of Juba-Bor highway, on October 30, 2021 | File photo/Credit: Eye Radio

Traders from Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) are counting losses after armed assailants intercepted and raided 50 herds of cattle along the Juba-Bor highway on Tuesday as the livestock were being driven to the city for sale.

GPAA Information Minister Oleyo Akwer Nyalus said the cattle traders were taking a hundred cattle to Juba – when they came under attack.

Minister Akwer narrated that the unknown gunmen parted with all cattle before the traders followed their footmarks and retrieved half of the livestock.

“The cattle belong to the traders who went to Juba from Greater Pibor that have been raided. The number was 100 herds of cattle,” he stated, citing information relayed to him by the administrative region’s coordinator in Juba.

“The traders are able to follow this footmark of the criminals who were headed towards Mangalla. They found that the criminals left 50 cattle. The 50 cattle has been recovered but 50 cattle have been taken to the bush. The traders are not able to recover. They came back to their where they camped in Mogiri.”

When contacted by Eye Radio on Monday, Central Equatoria State Security Advisor Angelo Daya said although his office learned about the incident, there was no credible information regarding the attack.

Daya said it is not the first time that cattle have been raided along the highway and added that his security personnel in Mangalla are yet to update his office on the nature of the incident.

“We heard of that, but our security forces are to update us in Mangala to know exactly what happened,” he said.

According to him, the areas along the Bandingilo National Park have become a brooding haven for criminals and a number of youth who are either poaching or cutting charcoals.

“We heard that information, but it’s not complete. Because you know the Badingilo national park has a lot of youth roaming within the bushes. There are those who are cutting charcoal, there are those who are hunting.”

“So it is not the first time that cattle have been raided in that particular area. I think the enemy of the cattle always are the people who know how to keep cattle.”

Violent attacks along major highways linking Juba with Bor and Nimule have been reported in recent weeks – leading to deaths, injuries and loss of properties.

On 29th September, Jonglei Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nyalele John Chuol was attacked and robbed by “armed criminals” who laid ambush to her vehicle along the Juba-Bor Highway, the state government said.

The minister was returning from Juba where she had gone for a government mission when armed assailants opened fire on her vehicle – riddling it with bullets and forcing her to stop.

There were no casualties during the attack which happened at Mogiri in Central Equatoria and the robbers looted Minister Nyalele’s entire luggage.

Also on 24th September, a passenger bus that was leaving Juba for Uganda came under gunfire from unidentified attackers who killed one person, wounded eight others, and held some passengers hostage on 24th September.