Two Deer women killed in Jonglei’s Makuach Payam

BOR – Two women from the Deer Community were reportedly killed in Wërkok Boma of Makuach Payam in Bor County of South Sudan’s Jonglei State on Friday, sparking grief and renewed calls for urgent government intervention to address insecurity.

The victims, identified as Bol Anyieth and Yar Kurwel, were among a group of five who had set out early Friday morning from Zion Church, where community members had gathered.

According to local accounts, they were escorting the bodies of people killed in a previous attack when they encountered armed assailants. Their bodies were discovered the next day at around 4 p.m.

The Bor Community Youth Association (BCYA) described the incident as a shocking and painful loss, saying the targeting of unarmed women reflects the growing vulnerability of civilians in rural Jonglei.

Following the killings, BCYA issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it called the “inhuman and brutal” attack, blaming it on “criminals from the Murle community of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).” Acting Chairperson Lual Bol Yuot said the killings were “heinous, cowardly, and barbaric,” adding that they undermine moral values and peaceful coexistence.

Yuot expressed “deepest sorrow and outrage,” warning that persistent security lapses have emboldened armed groups who now “move freely through our forests with little fear of resistance.”

In its statement, BCYA outlined a series of urgent demands to the national government, including comprehensive disarmament in GPAA, particularly targeting armed elements within the Murle community, and the deployment of additional SSPDF forces across Bor County to protect civilians.

The association said the repeated killing of innocent people—especially women, children, and the elderly—has reached an alarming level, expressing solidarity with the Deer Community and the families of the victims.

“We reaffirm our commitment to peace, security, and the protection of our people,” the statement reads, urging the government to act swiftly to prevent further tragedies.