Jonglei: Thousands desert Twic East villages after cattle raid

August 14, 2013 (BOR) – Thousands of people have deserted their villages following a recent cattle raid, the member of parliament representing Twic East South constituency at the Jonglei state assembly, John Amuor Kuol, said on Wednesday.

The attack on Alelei cattle camp at 5pm on Thursday 8 August killed seven and injured six people, the MP said, alleging that the raiders were from Pbor county’s Murle tribe.

Amuor said that the attack resulted in the displacement more than 14.700 people. Relief agencies have been alerted to the situation, he said, warning that the loss of the cattle will result in severe hunger among the affected population.

Seven people were killed and six injured in the attack.

Two raiders were also killed in a clash on Friday night in an attempt to rescue the cattle.

“It was a massive kind of destruction, over ten thousand cattle were raided”, Amuor said on Wednesday in Bor, adding “the situation is so bad after the cattle camp was raided”.

People living in the area moved to the nearest town to escape the violence, he pointed out.

“They had meeting themselves in which I was told yesterday and this morning that people are living in fear. Some have gone to Maar, the payam [district] headquarters to go and look for places where to live”, he said.

“Some are saying they are coming to Bor town. So we requested the government actually in this situation that, the area of Juet and Chir is the corridor connecting south and north of the state. The security will be bad if the communities of Chir and Juet will not be there”, he continued.

“The same incident has happened four times in the same corridor, so really there is a threat”, he said, while extending his request to South Sudanese police and army to provide protection for civilians.

“People are trying to leave and told telling them that you just hold on, the Government will be coming, they are promising us that there is a force which will come. We have gone to the acting Governor and there is a promise that some forces will be prepared to go to fill that place near that cattle camp, Panomkoor as proposed”, said Amuor.

Last year over 100,000 people were displaced in attacks between the Luo Nuer and Murle in Jonglei state. A disarmament campaign has failed to halt the ongoing insecurity and David Yauyau’s rebellion in Pibor county.

(ST)