At least one person and seven cows died in Maridi county shooting
June 8, 2015 (RUMBEK) – Clashes erupted between Lakes state pastoralists armed youth and a group of unknown gunmen in Maridi county of Western Equatoria state on Monday morning.
Cueirial Akech, chairman of Dinka traders in Maridi county told Sudan Tribune on Monday that clashes erupted at midnight on Sunday when unknown person threw hand grenade into a cattle camp, killing seven cows on the spot and left many more cows with injuries.
He said that when traders cows owners opened a case to the police, asking the state government to identify who killed their cows the same group ambushed them again, killing one of their colleagues.
“It was at night when unidentified person killed seven cows with hand grenade. So as the leader of traders of Dinka in this cattle camp, I moved to police and opened the police case seeking their criminal to be arrested. Very sad indeed a group ambushed us on the road and started firing at us/ The killed one person and now we are fighting in self-defence,” he said.
However, the county’s executive director, John Ezekias Paul, said the shooting followed a grenade attack on a cattle camp on Monday night at Sika-Rumbek. He did not disclose who carried out the attacks using grenade.
“One person has been killed in a random shooting this morning in Maridi county in Western Equatoria State,” he said.
Eyewitness confirmed that pastoralist’s youth from Lakes state were coming in to reinforce their colleagues and thousands of residents in Maridi are fleeing due to the tension.
They said markets have been closed and some houses burnt down by the Lakes state pastoralists youth.
Maridi county is one of three counties, Mundri and Yambio counties in Western Equatoria state which have faced random fighting in recent weeks.
(ST)