At least 49 people were killed and 33 wounded after armed cattle raiders attacked a community of herders in Warrap State, South Sudan, at dawn on Thursday, officials said.
The attack began at about 5 a.m. local time in a cattle herders’ camp in Tonj North County, according to Warrap State Information Minister William Wol Mayom Bol. He described the incident as a brutal attack and called for restraint while authorities from Warrap and neighbouring Unity State work together to identify and arrest those responsible.
Unity State Information Minister Nyakenya Johannes said the attackers were not all from Unity State, but added that officials were working to maintain peaceful relations between communities in the two regions.
Inter communal and inter tribal violence is common in South Sudan, where cattle herders frequently compete for scarce grazing land and water. The widespread availability of firearms among civilians has also contributed to recurring violence.
The latest attack comes as South Sudan prepares for a presidential election expected in December, which would be the country’s first since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
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