Cattle Raid Clashes Leave 27 Dead in Gogrial East, Tonj East

KUAJOK – At least 27 people have been killed in two separate attacks in Gogrial East and Tonj East counties in South Sudan’s Warrap State early this week, authorities have confirmed, as renewed cattle-related violence escalates across the region.

Warrap State Information Minister Mameer Baath Marool told this outlet that the deaths resulted from retaliatory clashes between armed cattle herders from the Jalwau and Luanyjang communities.

“What is confirmed is that 27 people have been killed in both Gogrial East and Tonj East counties. The attackers are from the Jalwau and Luanyjang communities. They clashed over cattle,” Baath said.

He added that obtaining exact casualty figures remains difficult due to the nature of the terrain and the mobility of armed cattle keepers.

“All those who died are strangers on the land, as this is a grazing area. Some people are already burying bodies because the area is swampy, and others have scattered,” he explained.

According to Baath, the violence is linked to a cattle raid last week in which about 3,000 head of cattle were reportedly looted by suspected raiders from neighbouring Unity State, a claim Bentiu denied. He said security forces have been deployed to the swampy Toich grazing area, where armed herders move with their cattle and frequently engage in confrontations.

Meanwhile, Unity State authorities say they are investigating reports that some of the suspected looters originated from their territory.

Unity State Information Minister Nyakanya Yohannes confirmed that officials are coordinating with Mayom County authorities to verify details of the incident.

“We have heard about the incident, and we are coordinating with the commissioner of Mayom County to obtain full details. If we find any raided cattle driven into our state, we will return them, as we always do,” she said.

The latest attacks highlight the persistent insecurity caused by cattle raiding and retaliatory violence in Warrap and Unity states. Despite security patrols and the declaration of a state of emergency in parts of the two states, lasting calm has remained elusive.

Authorities continue to urge communities to exercise restraint, but long-standing tensions among cattle-keeping groups remain deeply entrenched, with little progress toward sustainable conflict resolution.