By James Innocent
A woman activist, Mama Hawa Adams is calling on the local authorities of Yei River County to regulate the movement of cattle herders with sharp objects and weapons in Yei town saying it frightens residents.
She revealed that the cattle herders move with spears, pangas, knives and sticks in town which is making people living in town scared.
The appeal comes at the backdrop of orders and calls from State and local authorities for the marauding Dinka Bor cattle herders to vacate farming areas in Central Equatoria State counties and return back to their original land.
“I am appealing to the higher authority of Yei River County of Central Equatoria State to at least try its level best to control cattle herders’ movement in town with pangas, knives, spears, and a stick known as Baba Nus which is really scaring people so much especially school children as we notice their movement in Town,” he said.
She stressed that the herders’ movement with sharp objects is scaring the people of Yei especially young children, as it is not their culture in Yei and the neighboring counties.
“It’s so scaring for the people of greater Yei including other counties to see that cattle keepers move with weapons in Town as we really need peace with our neighbors and I am appealing to the government to regulate the threatening movement which is very strange to the communities of Yei and I also I urge the office of the commissioner and the security sector to look into what is happening exactly in Yei,” she pointed.
Mary Lado Tombe, one of the residents of Yei River County underlined that people say there is peace but with the cattle movement from one State to another, it is a bad sign to the nation because this cattle movement scares the citizens who want to return home to practice agriculture.
She noted that local farmers are scared of the cattle destroying gardens saying somebody who needs a grazing land let him seek for permission from the landlords.
“Many people lost blood during the Omar el Bashir regime until separation happened, till now citizens are yarning for peace but cattle keepers are moving with guns and where is the real peace,” she questioned.