At least five people have been killed and four others injured after armed men launched a cattle raid in Otallo, Pochalla County, within South Sudan’s Greater Pibor Administrative Area, according to local authorities and residents.
The violence reportedly unfolded in two phases, beginning on Friday afternoon before continuing into Saturday morning.
The incidents have intensified security concerns among communities in the area.
Otallo is also home to the royal palace of King Akway Agada Akway Cham, the traditional leader of the Anyuak Nyiodolla Royal Dynasty.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, Pochalla County Police Inspector Lt Col Amat Ochan blamed suspected armed individuals from the neighbouring Murle community for the attack.
“On Saturday, suspected Murle criminals attacked cattle herders about 10 minutes from the king’s palace,” he said.
Ochan named the deceased as Ojulu Olok Opiew, Didimo Ochalla Didimo, Odhiang Ochalla, Obang Owar and Omot Ochalla Didimo. According to the police inspector, three of those killed belonged to one family.
The injured victims were identified as Thwol Omot Ochalla, Gugo Onyango, Okumo Ochalla Othay and Ochan Ogut Othay. Ochan disclosed that two of the wounded were also related.
Following the incident, the injured initially received medical attention at Pochalla Primary Health Care Centre before being transferred to neighbouring Ethiopia for additional treatment.
Authorities also confirmed that the livestock taken during the raid had been retrieved.
Meanwhile, local residents reportedly recovered a mobile phone believed to have been dropped by one of the suspected attackers. Police said information stored on the device could provide leads in identifying those responsible.
“Local youth recovered a phone from one of the attackers. The names saved in the phone indicate that the attackers are of Murle ethnicity. Our detectives will investigate the phone recovered by local youth to establish further details about the assailants,” he said.
Former local government official and activist Othow Okoti denounced the killings, expressing concern over the condition of the survivors. He said two of the four injured individuals were in critical condition and required specialised medical attention outside Pochalla County.
Okoti also explained that attempts to arrange their evacuation to Juba through the Red Cross could not proceed because of a lack of available admission space at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“The four injured people were taken to a health facility in Pochalla town for treatment. Efforts to evacuate them to Juba by the Red Cross were unsuccessful because the ICRC had no available admission space. They were therefore evacuated to neighbouring Ethiopia, where they are receiving treatment,” Okoti said.
Efforts by Radio Tamazuj to obtain a response from Greater Pibor Information Minister Jacob Werchum Jouk were unsuccessful.
The latest incident adds to growing security concerns in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, where cattle-related violence and tensions between neighbouring communities have continued to threaten civilian safety.