Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The leader of Olubo community, which resides along Juba–Nimule road, has appealed to the government to close down the cattle camps in the areas.
According to Longino Michael Cook, the Chairperson of Olubo Community, the camps are a major source of insecurity and human displacement.
Longino said cattle herders have invaded eight villages, including Nesitu, Ngeli, Chalara, Kubi, Aru Junction, Nyolo, and Kit, resulting in mass destruction of crops that communities depend on.
Longino said some residents have been forced to flee alongside the returnees due to the increased number of cattle camps that attracted raiders from greater Pibor who also hunt for children. The returnees had just come from Uganda.
“The Murle people are now following the cows and in the process, they are kidnapping the children. “Yesterday (Sunday) they killed one person called Emmanuel Kose, and he is not buried up to date (Monday),” he said.
“I am appealing to Rehabilitation Commission and the NGOs to go and assess the situation and rush with food to those affected, otherwise the situation will deteriorate. We also want those who came with cattle to return to their original land,” said Longino.
Speaking in an interview with The City Review on Monday in Juba, Longino said besides herders’ issues, the area has over 8,000 former military personnel who deserted the service and have now resorted to burning charcoal hence providing breeding grounds for crimes.
“Murle get their food from those people who are producing charcoal in the areas. We have appealed to the government several times. We want them to be removed out from the area. We, the community, cannot do that because we don’t have arms,” Longino said.
Desperate for answers
“We cannot chase these people. Some of them are soldiers who deserted their work, and they are there [cutting trees for] charcoals, and logs and the Murle people get food from them and even maybe rebels to get food from them,” he added.
Longino said over 300 children have been abducted and an estimated 100 parents killed by child abductors in the past years.
Central Equatoria State has witnessed recurring conflict between cattle keepers and farmers over the past years. This is despite the several attempts by the government to move cattle and their owners back to their places of origin.
The president has so far issued two orders and none had been respected as the herders cited flooding and insecurity as impeding factors for their relocation. They have continued to graze on the farmland in some parts of the Central and Eastern Equatoria States.
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