Four killed in ‘surprise attack’ on cattle camp in Unity State

JUBA – Unidentified gunmen killed four people during an ambush on a cattle camp in South Sudan’s northern Unity State on Friday, a local official said, an incident that underscores the deteriorating security situation in the oil-rich region.

The attack occurred at 3:00 a.m. in Payangai, located in the Budang Payam of Rubkona County, roughly 40 kilometers north of the state capital Bentiu.

Nyakenya Johannes Keah, the Unity State information minister, told Sudans Post that the assailants launched a “surprise attack” on sleeping civilians.

“It happened at 3:00 AM… It was an ambush, actually. It was a surprise attack from unknown gunmen,” Keah said. “They found everybody was asleep. They started shooting them, you know, while they’re on the ground.”

Three people died instantly, while a fourth victim succumbed to injuries later in the morning. Keah noted that unlike typical raids in the region, the attackers did not steal livestock, though some cattle were shot during the assault.

“These people never actually took the cattle… They picked the guns from the people they killed, and then they left,” Keah said, suggesting the motive may have been targeted killings or weapon theft rather than cattle rustling.

“Investigation is ongoing. And once we have more details, we will definitely update you,” she added.

Gatwech Gai, the head of the Leek Youth Association, confirmed the casualties and condemned the violence in a statement on Friday.

“Unknown gunmen attacked the cattle camp in Payangai Boma of Budang Payam in Rubkona County,” Gai said. “In this attack… four people were dead, two people were wounded.”

The violence in Panyagai comes amid a fragile security vacuum in the area following the collapse of the joint security agreement at the Bentiu Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp earlier this month.

Fighting broke out in the camp in early January when government troops (SSPDF) and opposition forces (SPLA-IO)—who had been jointly policing the site—clashed, leading to the expulsion of the opposition forces.

Minister Keah addressed concerns regarding the current security of the camp, which houses over 100,000 displaced people. While the military conducted the initial operation to dislodge opposition fighters, Keah stated that police units have since taken over internal security duties to protect civilians and the camp’s critical dyke system.

“The IO forces have been pushed out completely… the government has to offer security to the people within the IDP camps,” Keah explained. “So right now, the people that are there, the force that is there is a force that is giving the IDPs protection. It is the police.”

The shift to police control attempts to stabilize the camp after weeks of tension. The site, formerly a UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site, was handed over to the government in 2021, but political infighting has frequently disrupted its management.