April 11, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– At least 50, 000 South Sudanese Pound and cattle have been raided within the last two days on Wau-Tonj road by unknown gunmen.
Frustrated by the repeated incidents, Joseph Ungom Aken, the Chairman of youth in Mapel condemn the incidents in the strongest terms possible.
Reporting to Nyamilepedia today, Ungom confirmed that the unknown gunmen, whom he believed are youth from Tong State, robbed trucks’ drivers yesterday in search of food items and money.
According to Ungom, the attackers loaded their car with bags of sorghums and stolen $35,000 SSP from the truck drivers in the first incident.
“I,m here by condemning the move taken by the youths of Tonj state. A bandit intimated the truck drivers yesterday near Tonj checked point taking over 35,000 SSP and loaded their car with bags of sorghum.” Ungom said.
In the today’s incident, Ungom confirmed that cows were raided in less than 10 kilometers from Mapel town and more trucks were ambushed, adding that 25, 000 SSP were also robbed from the trucks drivers by the armed youth.
“Today they raided cows just 10 km from Mapel Town torturing the boys who were taking care of cows at 1:40 pm and around 6 to 7 pm many of them intimated a car from wau to Tonj taking over 25000 SSP and entered in to the community around Kapara Boma of Mapel Payam” the youth chairman said.
Residents in Mapel confirmed the incident and added that they were randomly tortured and beaten by the gunmen before they ran to neighboring Kapara Boma.
“on behave of the youths of Mapel we strongly condemned the incidents in a strongest term. This issue become an ongoing matter on Tonj and Wau road, however, I urge the Tonj state government to act on this matter. The community of Mapel are not cattle keepers therefore” Ungom said.
Given that the community of Mapel are not cattle keepers, most cattle raiding conflicts in the past have been traded between the communities of Tonj West, Tonj East and Tonj Central.
The community of Mapel calls on Tonj government to control his pastoralist community and leave their people alone.
As a result of 28 states, unilaterally created by Salva Kiir, and the consequences of the current conflict, many neighboring communities are aggravated by border issues and hunger.
