Aweil residents lose 61 goats to thieves in one month

AWEIL — More than 61 goats have been stolen from Nyalath Payam of Aweil Center County of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr El Ghazal state in a space of one month, according to residents.

Residents from the villages of Cham-Angui, Pan-thiow, and Rum-Akurdit in Nyalath payam of Aweil Center County said they have lost several goats to the same thieves.

In an interview with Sudan Post on Sunday, Santino Dut, a local resident, expressed concern over a growing wave of mysterious nighttime goat killings and thefts.

“This month alone we have lost over 61 goats; all of them disappeared from the Cham-Angui, Rum-Akurdit, and Panthiow areas,” Dut told Sudan Post.

Dut said that their records show that more than 29 goats are still missing.

“We managed to recover 32 goats, and the rest, like 29, are still missing, and this is an organized work by the young people who come with the motorbike and run away with the goats,” he stated.

He said the goats were stolen by a group of young men who raid on motorbikes, claiming that they lure goats to drink and catch them and tie them in bags and take off by bike.

Another resident, Mary Athoi, said her neighbor lost 28 goats.

“Garang Bol has lost 28 goats, and nobody has any knowledge of their whereabouts now. This is something that has bewildered us,” Mary said.

Luka Malith Malith, Nyalath Payam Administrator, confirms the complaints of livestock theft.

“Now some chiefs just allow the travelers to go about their businesses and sign off on the documents without proper inspection,” said Malith.

Malith said that they have launched a manhunt for the livestock thieves.

“We have been telling the chiefs never to allow residents to move freely with goats and cows without investigating into where they got them and where they are going.”