By Alan Clement
Repeat of violent cattle raid, such as one on Sunday, at a cattle camp in Achongchok, Tonj North County violate the State of Emergency declared by President Salva Kiir early this month.
Warrap State Minister for Information, Mamer Bath, confirmed the Sunday incident. He said that the attackers targeted a cattle camp guarded by youth who had recently surrendered their weapons as part of a government-led voluntary disarmament campaign.
“The youth in Tonj North had laid down their arms in support of a peace and security disarmament initiative, but this left them vulnerable,” Minister Bath said. “The armed youth from Mayom took advantage of this and launched a coordinated raid,” he stressed.
The Minister confirmed the office of the Commission -Tonj North County reported 11 casualties and 24 injuries though the extent of the injuries were not clearly defined.
He added that the Commissioner requested for assistance from law enforcement authorities, with the army responding swiftly, recovering 11 cattle.
He noted that authorities in Mayom are trying to establish contact with officials in Mayom county to hold discussions in an effort to de-escalate tensions and prevent retaliatory violence.
The Minister express frustration with the pace of establishing contact with the authorities in Mayom county.
“We are trying our best to reach out to the commissioner of Mayom county but several phone calls made to his office have not been responded to. This is frustrating our efforts to resolve this issue quickly,” he said.
Although calm has been restored in Achongchok, local officials warn that security remains fragile along the border between Warrap and Unity states a region historically plagued by intercommunal clashes and cattle-related conflict.
The latest incident underscores the challenges faced by peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan, where traditional practices of cattle raiding continue to fuel violence and undermine disarmament and reconciliation initiatives.
Authorities have called for increased security presence and renewed dialogue between communities to prevent further bloodshed.
Despite Warrap state claiming that the attackers were from neighboring Mayom County in Unity State, not body from there was willing to responded to the claim, after several inquiries.
No.1 Citizen Newspaper’s requests for comments from the office of Mayom County commissioner, have not been responded to.