By Philip Buda Ladu
South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has summoned the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State, Louis Lobong Lojore along with the Commissioner of Magwi County and the Administrators of Nimule town Council to appear in his office to explain how the incident of cattle raiding in Mugali transpired.
On 11th May 2022, Mugali payam of Magwi County witnessed fatal cattle raiding incident in which local authorities reported that 20 people were killed including women and children, and thousands of heads of cattle looted and 52 more cows killed.
President Kiir in Fridays’ Council of Ministers’ Meeting No.5/2022 which he chaired raised concerns on the reports of the tense situation in Mugali and other insecurity issues in the country.
Michael Makuei Lueth, the Minister of Information and Government’s official spokesperson said that President Kiir brought into the cabinet an oversight report on the situations in Mugali displaced people’s camp.
He said that, the President briefed cabinet on the incident that occurred on 11th May 2022, that left 23 people killed including women and children; 3,450 heads of cattle raided and 52 cows killed.
“This was explained by H.E. the President as a situation that needs government’s intervention, it is not acceptable to continue or to allow our South Sudanese citizens in the country to kill themselves for no reason and start looting cattle and so forth,” Makuei told reporters on Friday.
“After deliberation, H.E. directed that the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State and the Commissioner of Magwi will be called by him (President) so that they can actually give him the exact situation or the exact report of what happened.” Makuei told reporters.
Makuei said that the President will also set up a fact-finding committee that will go to the site to find out exactly what happened in that place.
He said that the cabinet condemned all those hostilities in the strongest possible terms because it is not through hostilities that they will be in position to address problems.
The information minister added that, the idea of cattle raiding and so forth shouldn’t be encouraged, but rather law and order should be maintained and as such, the Cabinet seconded the formation of an investigative committee that will go to the site to find out facts to the incident.