Jonglei: Three killed and two injured in Twic East raid
March 19, 2014 (BOR/JUBA) – Four people were killed and two others injured while trying to rescue stolen goats from Paliau in the Panding area of Twic east county in Jonglei state on Tuesday 18 March at at 2pm Sudan Tribune has learned.
Between 50 and 100 goats are believed to have been stolen armed civilians, according to Twic East county commissioner Dau Akoi who spoke from Panyagoor on Tuesday.
Five people attempted to follow the raiders but fell into an ambush. The one person survive has been flown to Bor, the capital of Jonglei state for treatment, Commissioner Akoi said.
Commissioner Jurkuch said the “unknown armed men” took away fifty goats after unsuccessfully trying to seize cattle.
“We didn’t identify them though we suspect that they come from [the] Pibor area,” he said refereeing to neighbouring Pibor county, which is inhabited by members of Murle tribe.
Akoi said he had tried to call his counterpart, the commissioner of Pibor county, Joshua Konyi, but without success. Youth in Twic East are “fed up with these regular attacks”, he said.
He denied there was any plan to to retaliate against the community of the alleged raiders.
Shortly after large parts of the South Sudanese army in Jonglei – as well as Unity and Upper Nile states – launched a rebellion against the government, long time rebel, David Yauyau announced that he had agreed a ceasefire with SPLM government.
However the commissioner warned that attacks from the “Murle youth or criminals are sabotaging the peace process between David Yauyau and the government”.
“We in Twic East, we are peace loving, we don’t retaliate, we don’t [take] revenge but always look for the solutions”, Akoi explained.
Last week, Twic East reported the death of three men and two with injuries after the youth exchanged gunfire with the raiders near Pading. Although the communities of Twic East accused Murle for the attacks, it was not possible to verify the claim from independent sources.
Sudan Tribune has not been able to reach the Pibor Commissioner for comment.
Twic East and Duk are some of the Jonglei state counties where the rebels led by former vice president Riek Machar and government forces have exchanged fire almost on daily bases.
The forest that extends from Panyagoor to Gadiang and Duk is a war zone which civilians are prevented from entering by the army (SPLA), even when pursuing the stolen cattle or goats.
Akoi also said that currently the army has no time to deal with the raiders as they are focused on responding to the rebellion.
Duk county clinic attacked
A clinic built by the John Dau Foundation in Duk county has been attacked and looted by the rebels. The extent of the damage is shown in photographs sent to Sudan Tribune by the charity this week.
(ST)