Six killed in Mayom cattle raid days after herders are disarmed
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
June 19, 2013 (BENTIU) – Six civilians were seriously injured in a cattle camp in Unity state’s Mayom county over the weekend by a group of raiders allegedly from neighbouring Tonj North county of Warrap state.
The raiders managed to escape with 840 cows from the cattle camp next to Wangrang village, which is 30km from Mayom town, according officials in the area.
Keah Machar Guek, who witnessed the attack, told Sudan Tribune on Monday that the attack occurred after the area’s cattle herders handed over 40 AK47s to South Sudan’s army – the SPLA – as part of a disarmament exercise last week.
Guek says he was caught by surprise when nearly 200 young men attacked cattle camp and eleven others that are stationed at Wangrang village.
Last week the SPLA collected nearly 600 illegal firearms from civilians in Mayom, Rubkotna and Koch counties promising to protect ensure their security after the disarmament process.
Maj Gen James Koang Chuol, the head of SPLA’s division fourth, which is based in Unity state, told Sudan Tribune that the army are still protecting civilians properties, despite recent incident. Chuol said he had already deployed some SPLA soldiers to Tonj North to meet authorities in the area and arrange for the stolen cattle to be returned.
The commissioners in Warrap state “are working to recover the cattle which have been raided, and then they are going to be given to those forces so they have to escort back to their owners to avoid the clashes because now if the forces return back to Mayom County without taking anything to them to convinced those who have disarmed and those whose cattle has been raided this will cause inconveniences”, added the fourth division commander.
Chuol says as they continue disarming civilians in Unity some cattle rustlers have taken advantage. He added that the seasonal rains were forcing the soldiers to travel on foot as South Sudan’s roads are notoriously bad.
“We will not continue, we want to see if there is no cattle raiding from other side because it become advantage to other side, but we have to make sure that the other forces are deployed there so that if there is time because now rainy season will not make it any more, our forces are facing walking on foot in the large area”, said Chuol.
Mayom county commissioner, John Bol Mayak, says the raiders took the opportunity to attack while people were cultivating their fields and were off guard following the SPLA disarmament.
“Six people were shot in the cattle camp; these are merely pure civilians who have got no guns or weapons with them”, said Mayak.
Cattle raiding along Mayom county’s borders with neighbouring counties in Warrap is a regular occurrence. Recently Lakes, Unity and Warrap states all agreed to conduct disarmament campaigns to end the deadly cattle raids along their common borders.
Unity state authorities say they have recovered nearly 600 illegal firearms from civilians in Mayom and Rubkotna counties, in a joint campaign between the military and local chiefs.
The Mayom commissioner said he had spoken to his Tonj North counterpart and the Warrap state governor Nyandeng Malek Deliech to try and secure the return of the cattle.
“I’m sure all these cattle will be returned to owners, and I can see the state government of Warrap is serious to recover cattle from raiders and for sure these cattle will be returned,” added Mayak.
The commissioner said that despite the attack the government would continue its attempts to take weapons from civilians.
(ST)