By Adia Jildo
The community of Nyerjebe of Lokiliri Payam in Juba County are grieving in fear of their lives over the presence of armed herders in the community who slayed 5 last Friday.
Aboba Jenge Ido Logale, an old woman in Ngerjebe said their lives in their village have become miserable as they are not able to voice their concerns over the behavior portrayed by the errant herders.
“I am old and I cannot guarantee life anytime from now. The life here with cattle herders is hard. The cattle will destroy your farm, feed on them and when I talk, they will point at us with a gun. We don’t have a gun,” she said.
The elderly woman said being intimidated and threaten about death even when going to their farms, to collect firewood is the order of the day in her community.
Aboba Jenge feared that their call to authorities might not yield any fruit or no response will take place by the herders to completely evacuate citing the similar scenario early this year.
“These words might end here with no action taken. Even if we talk, no action is being taken by the authorities in case of helping us. We know,” she continued.
She worried about what would happen if authorities do not take immediate action as lives of their children and youths who were meant to help them the elders are being taken intentionally.
Biastori Modi Modesto, the chief of Ngerjebe, Lokiliri Payam said that the act of killing has become rampant as herders are armed to their teeth leaving the local community vulnerable.
“Three people came, they got these youths seated under the tree here. They asked these youths to speak in their (herders) language of which the youths told them that they do not know. Later, they shot two of them who fell here and the rest were spread with bullets as they tried to run,” he narrated the ordeals of the Friday incident.
Biastori said a similar incident happened when a man was found, killed and a child kidnapped in the bush beside the kidnap of the other 4 within a month.
“They first took 4 children, 2 were brought back, the other 2 did not return. Even recently, they took another child from here,” he said.
The chief said the herders have consumed the farm produces in the villages which leaving the native people starving.
“When they see that they have finished the sorghum from here, they migrate,” he said. “They made their cattle to eat our food. Our people who even go to cut firewood, their axes are taken away from them” said Biastori.
A corpse was found during a search on Monday evening by the village youth.