Bentiu, South Sudan
March 9, 2022 — Authorities in Unity State said South Sudanese cattle herders and Sudanese pastoralists clashed on Sunday leaving seven people dead and 11 others wounded.
The clashes occurred in the Payang-gai cattle camp in the northern part of the state bordering Sudan.
Speaking to media on Monday David Gai Jiejor the State Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, who is also the acting Information Minister, said that the local herders were attacked by the Sudanese nomadic pastoralists (Missiriya).
He said the local youth from Rubkona County of Unity State and Sudanese nomads identified as “Omran Community” in Sudan clashed over weekend in Payang-gai, the northern part of Unity State.
“There were clashes on Sunday between our youth from Rubkona County and the Omran community from Sudan and they fought yesterday (Sunday) in the northern part of Unity State in the grazing area of Payang-gai,” Minister Gai told media on Monday.
The State spokesman added that seven people were killed and 11 others injured from among the local youth but that all the cattle raided were recovered and that the situation was now returned to normalcy. Meanwhile he urged the youth to be vigilant.
“As the government of Unity State, our position is to make sure that our neighboring states are living in a conducive environment and we have to work hard to make sure that insecurity is not created among our youth at the border,” Minster Gai said.
According to Minister Gai “Under the directive of the state government, we will advise our youth to move to other areas to make sure the situation with the Arab nomads is normalized along the border.”
The Arab nomads has a historical hostility with Ngok Dinka of Abyei over the land issue for centuries.
