GPAA Chief Administrator Gola Boyoi (left), CES Governor Augustino Jadalla (center), Jonglei Governor Mahjoub Biel, and David Yau Yau, visit the scene of a deadly ambush on herders in Mogiri. November 6, 2024. (Photo: CES/Facebook).

The governors of Central Equatoria and Jonglei and the chief administrator of Greater Pibor Administrative Area have pledged joint efforts to end deadly inter-communal violence and cattle-related attacks in their borders and along the Juba-Bor Road.

The three leaders made the decision after confirming that 22 people were killed in a cattle raiding incident at Mogiri area of Juba County, along the Juba-Bor road, on Wednesday morning.

The attack by gunmen suspected to be from Jonglei State also left a significant number of cattle stolen.

Local authorities reported that men from the GPAA driving thousands of livestock to Mangalla were ambushed, resulting in casualties on both sides and the raiding of an undisclosed number of cattle.

In response, governors Augustino Jadalla of Central Equatoria, Mahjoub Biel of Jonglei, and Gola Boyoi Gola of GPAA traveled to the site to assess the situation and condemned the incident during a joint media briefing on November 6.

Governor Jadalla of Central Equatoria described the violence as senseless, adding that it requires immediate attention.

“We have come here saddened and deeply sorry for the incident that occurred. This is a tragic incident, and I believe it’s the second or third of its kind in this area. We are not happy with what is happening now,” he said.

“We used to see the Mogiri area as a central hub connecting four regions: Eastern and Central Equatoria, Pibor, and Jonglei. We need to unite and guarantee the inclusion of Eastern Equatoria.

“As four regions, we must unite and establish foundations, laws, and regulations so that our people can live peacefully together. This is not difficult, but it requires political will.”

The Governor of Jonglei State, Mahjoub Biel, urged the people of Jonglei and Pibor to refrain from attacking and killing each other.

Mr. Biel called for a security meeting among the regions to find a solution to the persistent cattle raids and violence.

“We are sending a message from here: to the people coming from Pibor; you should not stop coming every day. To the people from Bor who are attacking Pibor, you must stop as well.”

“We don’t want anyone here stealing or raiding cattle from others. Pibor people who attack Bor, you too must stop; we don’t want anyone to kill their brothers or relatives. Give the government a chance; let it plan and organize for the betterment of the country.”

“The country cannot move forward if peace is not established and people continue to kill each other. We are deeply saddened by what has happened, and, God willing, we will put a plan in place to resolve this issue.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Administrator of Greater Pibor called on the national government to provide security, adding that the three leaders will agree to work together to stop such crimes from reoccurrence.

“Moving forward, we will reach an agreement and bring in the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State to implement a security plan to prevent a recurrence of such incidents,” Boyoi said.

“It is deeply unfortunate that so many people have been killed and so much cattle have been looted. However, the issue is not the cattle but the lives lost. These are the sons of South Sudan, whether from Jonglei or Pibor; they are citizens of South Sudan, and their deaths are a tragedy for us and are unacceptable.”

“Therefore, we must unite our efforts as governors to work together to stop and prevent such crimes from happening again, and we direct all security forces to focus their efforts on preventing this from happening again.”

The leaders affirmed their commitment to include the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State in their collaborative efforts to end the killings and cattle raids in the region.

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

In October, 50 herds of cattle being driven to Juba for sale by GPAA traders were stolen by armed assailants in an attack along the Juba-Bor road.

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.