In 2022, similar incident displaced thousands of households|Photo by Darlington Moses

Magwi Local Chief has reported that hundreds of households have been displaced following cattle invasion of several villages and homes, destroying farm produce with cattle owners allegedly forcefully settling in the locals’ tukuls.

Okot Sonic Agoro Payam, the Head Chief, reported that over 7,000 were displaced from Nyolo Boma where the cattle influx was first reported, and more than 3,000 from Agoro Chomboro, including others from Ayii Kit and Agoro Y.

Okot said a majority of the displaced population are internally seeking asylum in Magwi, while others have crossed the border to Uganda and other locations.

“Now the communities are in fear, forcing them to leave their homes, not only Nyolo community but also Ayii Kit, Chomboro, and Agoro Y, because they can’t live any longer with people holding ammunition.

“Someone who threatens you and at times put you at gunpoint for no reason and could destroy your property and yet they can’t say sorry, and you shouldn’t talk about it so you can’t stay with such people in the same place and that’s the reason people are leaving the areas.

“They also do beat people who try to stop them from invading homes and houses, including destroying properties since you can’t beat them because they have guns.

“In Nyolo, which has a population of 7166 all have moved away from their homes and fled to Juba, Nimule, Uganda, and Magwi. In Chomboro with 3738 also evacuated their village”, said the chief.

For her part, a women leader in Nyolo Boma who has also been displaced to Magwi Town says, their homes have been occupied by large kraals of cattle, which destroyed several of their farmlands and crops.

Vicky Achiro underscores that the herders are hostile to the villagers, prompting their displacement from the area.

She says there were incidents involving herders threatening innocent farmers, saying a woman was beaten in an effort to stop the herders from allowing their cattle to feed on their unharvested crops.

Achiro added that, women and children are now lacking shelter and what to eat in Magwi, calling for government intervention to rescue their situation.

“In the last two days ago, we left our villages for Magwi without anything to start living there. We lack shelter and what to eat.

“Back there, the herders are inside our homes with their animals.  There were women who opted to stop the herders from destroying their crops, but later, one of the women was beaten by a young boy.

“She was told to avoid talking but was later allowed to harvest her produce s after she was beaten already”, she narrated her ordeal to Eye Radio.

Efforts to contact the herders’ leaders, Eastern Equatoria State authorities, were futile at the press release.

However, the incident comes two weeks after Governor Lobong raised an alarm and ordered the Magwi County Commissioner to investigate the looming influx of herders into the area.