Authorities in Kajokeji are appealing to state and national governments to intervene to help them recover more than a thousand cattle stolen from the area recently.
According to local authorities, armed cattle keepers from Jonglei state entered Liwolo and Nyepo counties in the Kajokeji area, seizing 1,528 cattle from the host communities.
Commissioner Julius Lokonga of Nyepo County said a group of five armed cattle keepers from Jonglei seized 540 cattle of the local communities from their kraals at night. He said the incident which happened on Sunday, scared civilians and forced many to flee.
“So these armed cattle keepers came at night with guns and drove away cattle. In the morning, when the owners tried to follow, they were frightened through a gunshot by the cattle keepers,” commissioner Lokonga told TCT on phone. He said another raid happened on Wednesday, when another 40 cattle were taken away.
Between December 13 and 16, armed men in uniform from Jonglei state stole 988 cattle in various payams of Liwolo, including Kala, Mangalotore and Kerua.
Liwolo County commissioner Victor Ware said locals reported to him that twenty (25) well-armed cattle keepers seized one thousand and four (1004) cattle. He said these incidents have caused a lot of fear among locals.
“They were twenty five with guns and all of them were dressed in new uniforms,” he told TCT.
“Should be repatriated”
In Nyepo and Liwolo counties, armed cattle keepers have been grazing in these territories for the past three years. However, hostilities are growing as cattle raiding incidents have intensified in recent weeks and many residents have been fleeing to Uganda for refugee.
“It has actually created great panic and a good number of our people are migrating as refugees,” Commissioner Ware said.
On Sunday, church leaders and the four commissioners of Liwolo, Nyepo, Kangapo and Kajokeji counties held a joint meeting on the matter. The meeting agreed that the central government should relocate the armed cattle keepers in the month of January next year, to prevent looming conflict with the farming communities.
County authorities have reported the issue to the state government, the commissioners said, calling on Jubek and Jonglei authorities to investigate and track down perpetrators so that the stolen cattle are returned to the owners.
“The way forward is that the cattle keepers should be removed from their location at the end of January, if possible. Cattle keepers residing in Kala payam and Nyepo County should be repatriated to their original locations,” commissioner Ware said.
TCT’s efforts to get comments from Jubek and Jonglei state authorities failed.