Juba-Bor highway. |Courtesy/ARC.

Jonglei State government has refuted accusations from neighboring Pibor that its youth are responsible for Friday’s attack on cattle traders along the Juba-Bor highway.

On August 15, two people were allegedly killed, four others wounded, and 4,000 cattle were raided during an ambush on cattle traders along the Juba-Bor Road.

Pibor Minister of Information Abraham Kelang accused armed youth from Jonglei of attacking the traders and called on his Bor counterpart and the national government to recover the stolen cattle.

He said the attack is a breach of the April 14, 2023, Marieng-Boma peace dialogue to end hostilities among the two communities.

In response, Jonglei Information Minister Nyadak Elizabeth said the incident was committed outside the state territory and has nothing to do with the local youth.

“The territory where the incident took place does not belong to Jonglei state, not in our map does that area belong to central Equatoria state, and the person to answer that question is in Central Equatoria,” she said.

However, Nyadak said her government will cooperate with Pibor to identify and report any criminal activities that may hamper the co-existence between the communities in the area.