Heads of cattle being driven elsewhere in South Sudan

At least 900 cattle have reportedly been raided in Mayom County of Unity State.

This is according to Stephen Bol, a member of parliament representing Mayom County at the transitional legislature.

The incident is said to have happened on Friday when a group of armed men attacked a cattle camp in a place called Bachui in the outskirts of Mayom Town.

According to Mr. Bol, the suspected criminals allegedly came from Gogrial East County of Warrap State.

He is now calling on the government of Warrap State to investigate those behind the attack and return the raided cattle to the rightful owners.

“On Friday 19^th exactly at 2pm a group of well-armed militia from Gogrial East crossed the border and raided over 950 herds of cattle in the area called Bachui in Mayom County,” Stephen Bol told Eye Radio.

“The criminals went away with all the cattle and they did not kill anyone. And I am just urging the governor of Warrap State including the commissioner of the above-mentioned county to apprehend the criminals and return the cattle to their rightful owners.”

Eye Radio’s efforts to get a reaction from the Warrap State government were not immediately successful.

In April this year, at least 30 people were killed in a violence that erupted between Mayom and some cattle herders from the neighboring Warrap State.

Pastoralist communities have experienced endless waves of communal violence, mainly fueled by revenge attacks, cattle raiding, and land grabbing.

The UN Mission in South Sudan says cattle-related killings and revenge attacks remain the biggest insecurity challenges.