Nine dead, 5 wounded in Lakes’ Awerial County
By Manyang Mayom
October 2, 2009 (RUMBEK) – Mundri cattle raiders killed nine people and severely injured five others during an attack on September 28, 2009, an Awerial County official confirmed on Friday. The attack on Buocran cattle camp involved some militia armed with rocket-propelled grenades and PKM machine guns, said the official.
“These attackers are well equipment with communication facility that consisted of three satellite Thuraya phones,” explained Dut Malual Chaoch, who is the chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Awerial County.
“We know that this is so because those who were fighting them came to us to tell us who they are, and they saw them communicating using such expensive phones.”
According to the county official, 15 villages are displaced; meanwhile around Kalthok payam over ten households are also displaced including Butakoi, Malual, Wunthou and Panbom.
He noted also that “Mundri youth were gathering yesterday and from our right sources, we have just learned that there will be flashpoint attacks that target only three places comprised of Wunbuoi, Kazaro and Tuatic.”
The attack happened in the absence of the Awerial County Commissioner, who had left the county headquarters for an official meeting in Rumbek where the state government is based. Malual stressed this point.
In a separate incident, a youth from Yirol East (Nyang) County of Lakes state launched a surprise attack against a particular tribe called Apaak of Yirol West County of Lakes state on Thursday. The attack was followed by looting of an unknown number of cows. Meanwhile, four people are confirmed severely wounded and among those wounded people, one is a girl.
A resident named Mou Magok said that “There were random shooting. The youth of Yirol East County have run away with our cows. They looted cows at the cattle camp called Padiang.”
Padiang is located in the western part of Yirol West County; it is a part of Mapuordit payam. At the time, Yirol West County Commissioner Agok Manyiel Dhieu was reported to have been holding a meeting somewhere within Mapuordit payam with his local chiefs of the Apaak tribe, in order to discuss returning back recently looted domestic animals of Yirol East County, which were taken in raids last month.
A peace and reconciliation forum was held recently in Yirol West County; the forum was attended by Governor Daniel Awet Akot.
(ST)