Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The police commissioner in Jonglei State, Maj. Gen. Joseph Mayen Akoon, has said the security situation in Jonglei State is calm after the recent attacks in Duk Padiet.
Speaking to The City Review yesterday from Bor town, Maj. Gen. Mayen said cases of cattle raids and road ambushes have declined in the state since the attack on Duk Padiet
“Generally, the security situation in Jonglei State is calm after the incident in Duk Padiet. There have been cases of cattle raids and road ambushes, but the cases are really minimal, not like before,”Akoon said.
Jonglei State has been recording massive deaths related to cattle raids, child abductions, road ambushes, and losses related to the alleged revenge killings between the state and the youth of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
Two weeks ago, an attempted cattle raid in Duk Padiet left at least 14 dead and 10 others wounded, but the cattle were successfully returned to the owners.
A member of parliament representing Duk County in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA), Anter Bayak Kuol, urged the government and the international community to find a lasting solution to the intercommunal conflict in Jonglei State.
“I strongly condemn in the strongest terms possible, the latest attack carried out by the suspected Murle criminals (GPAA) on the innocence cattle keepers, in which 14 innocent lives were lost and 10 people were seriously wounded as a result of the cattle raided,” he said.
Continuous attacks
In January 2022, the Secretary-General of Jonglei State, Gatwech Koak Nyuon, condemned an attack in Gadiang that left seven traders dead, six wounded and five missing as 700 heads of cattle were raided.
This incident followed the Baidit incident in which 63 people were killed, including three children who drowned in the course of the attack. Nyuon stressed that the cattle raid was an “an unacceptable act against humanity.”
“We highly condemn such behaviour to cease for peace and stability to prevail in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area,” he said.
He urged the administration of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) to investigate the incident and bring the bandits to book. Nyuon advised the bereaved families to remain calm and allow the government to take the necessary measures for justice to prevail.
“We urge the authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area to partner with us to restore the trust of the people by bringing culprits to book,” he added.
“We are guilty“
When contacted to comment on the incident, the Deputy Chief Administrator of Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), John Joseph Abulla, told The City Review that his administration would investigate the attacks by what he called, “suspected criminals from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.”
“Actually, what happened in Baidit was very unfortunate, and it is not acceptable. On behalf of Greater Pibor and on behalf of my chief, I condemn the attacks, and we also register our deep condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and we will stand with them,” Abulla said.
He added that they had commissioned a committee to monitor the border of Jonglei and GPAA in Gumuruk, reiterating that they would stoop to the grassroots in a bid to apprehend the criminals.
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