14 Killed in South Sudan Cattle Raid

At least 14 people were killed, including six children, in a cattle raid in northern South Sudan, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.

Cattle raids are common in South Sudan, a desperately poor East African country where political, ethnic and criminal violence are common.

The latest attack struck late Tuesday in Padang Payam in Unity State.

“There was an attack launched by armed youth criminals from Ruweng Administrative Area, and they ended up killing at least 14 people as of this morning, including six children, six men, one woman and a teenage girl,” said Unity State Information Minister Nyakenya Johannes Keah, adding that the toll could rise.

Around 200 cattle were stolen during the attack and taken to Ruweng, she added.

An information minister for Ruweng Administrative Area, Salva Nyok, rejected the allegations in a call with AFP.

The region is one of the most violent in the unstable country.

At least 169 people were killed and buried in a mass grave in Ruweng in March in an apparent act of ethnic violence.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 and has been mired in civil war for much of its existence, inflamed by communal tensions, particularly between the dominant Dinka and Nuer groups.

An internal security report from Monday, seen by AFP, warned that young men were also being mobilised for cattle raiding in Jonglei state, which has seen the worst of recent fighting between government and opposition forces.

“Although the stated objective is cattle raiding, there is a risk that any resulting violence could expand beyond local cattle-related disputes and draw in wider political and communal actors,” the report said.