Armed raiders kill 49 in South Sudan cattle raid: local official
The latest attack comes barely three weeks after another cattle raid in the area left 60 people dead and 50 wounded [Getty]
At least 49 people were killed and 33 wounded in northwestern South Sudan on Thursday after armed attackers raided a cattle camp and a village, a local official said, in the latest deadly cattle raid.
The young nation has long been plagued by violent cattle raids but is now also seeing clashes between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and forces loosely allied with the opposition.
The attack took place at 5:00 a.m. local time Thursday, with the attackers targeting the Machar-Pakuek cattle camp and Mading Juer Boma in Majak Payam, Tonj North County, Warrap State, according to an official statement.
“The attack was perpetuated by an armed cross-border, criminal network,” said Warrap spokesperson William Wol Mayom Bol in the statement.
Last year, Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency in the state after a surge of violent inter-communal cattle raids.
The attack comes barely three weeks after another cattle raid in the area left 60 people dead and 50 wounded.
“We extend heartfelt condolences to the families that lost loved ones in the attack and appeal for restraint,” Bol said.
The local government condemned the attack and called on humanitarian organisations to help respond to the “humanitarian catastrophe resulting from conflict-induced displacement.”
Earlier this month, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Anita Kiki Gbeho, expressed concerns over the cycle of communal violence in places such as Warrap.
Gbeho said humanitarian workers were also facing growing dangers in South Sudan, with 36 killed in 2026 alone.
