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At least 19 dead in new wave of intercommunal violence in South Sudan
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

At least 19 dead in new wave of intercommunal violence in South Sudan

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • At least 19 people have died in a new outbreak of intercommunal violence in South Sudan's Lakes state.
  • The clashes began Friday between armed youth from the Pakam and Gok communities and escalated Sunday.
  • Local authorities attribute the violence to cattle theft and mistreatment of an elder, urging restraint to prevent further escalation.

A fresh wave of intercommunal violence has claimed at least 19 lives in South Sudan's central Lakes state, local authorities reported Sunday. The clashes erupted Friday between armed youth from the Pakam community in Rumbek West county and the neighboring Gok community in Cueibet county, intensifying significantly on Sunday morning.

Kual Mading, the Information Minister for Lakes state, told EFE that the recent violence resulted in eight additional fatalities, bringing the total death toll from 11 reported after Friday's clashes to 19. "The situation worsened this morning - Sunday - when armed youth from Pakam attacked a cattle camp belonging to the Gok community. This triggered a new round of clashes that resulted in eight more fatalities," Mading stated.

The situation worsened this morning - Sunday - when armed youth from Pakam attacked a cattle camp belonging to the Gok community. This triggered a new round of clashes that resulted in eight more fatalities.

— Kual MadingThe Information Minister for Lakes state detailing the escalation of violence on Sunday.

Mading assured that the state government is closely monitoring the situation and has dispatched security personnel to restore calm and protect civilians. He appealed to all communities to refrain from acts of revenge. Preliminary investigations suggest the conflict stemmed from cattle theft and the mistreatment of a local elder, incidents that inflamed tensions between the two communities.

The minister expressed concern that recurring disputes over cattle continue to undermine peace efforts in Lakes state. State authorities are working to verify casualty figures and assess the impact, while local leaders are striving to prevent the conflict from spreading to neighboring areas. Such tribal clashes are common in South Sudan, fueled by the presence of armed groups and the government's difficulty in disarming tribes engaged in disputes over grazing land, territory, or revenge.

The state government is closely monitoring the situation and has dispatched security personnel to restore calm and protect the civilian population.

— Kual MadingMinister Mading assuring that authorities are responding to the violence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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