The resurgence of deadly attacks in Warrap state is drawing widespread condemnation from civil society activist, who are now urging the national strategy to apply an all-out approach to the cycle of attacks.
The attack, which occurred earlier this week, resulted in significant casualties and highlights the persistent challenge of armed violence despite ongoing disarmament efforts.
On Monday, armed youth from Mayom County launched a cattle raid on a cattle camp in Tonj North, Warrap State. The assault led to the deaths of at least 15 people, with an additional 24 individuals injured.
Commissioner Mawein Akech Mawein of Tonj North County confirmed the incident, identifying the attackers as youth from Unity State’s Mayom County.
His counterpart, James Lilly Kuol, the Commissioner of Mayom County, also confirmed the involvement of youth from his county, stating that five youth from Mayom were killed during the raid.
In a statement, Edmund Yakani, executive director of Community Empowerment of Progress organization, expressed disappointment over the incident, especially given that it occurred while Warrap State is currently under a disarmament campaign.
“I would like to take this opportunity to strongly condemn the deadly armed cattle raiding that took place this week on Monday, carried out by Youth from Mayom County of Unity state, in which they launched a deadly cattle raid on a cattle camp located in Tonj North of Warrap State,” he said.
He stressed that the occurrence of such violent incidents, despite the declaration of a state of emergency, underscores the urgent need for more effective, long-term solutions.
“Normally, we describe a state of emergency as short-term, but a durable solution is required, and the durable solution is comprehensive disarmament of our armed communities,” he added.
Yakani specifically urged the government to ensure comprehensive disarmament in both Mayom County of Unity State and across Warrap State.
In addition to calling for government intervention, Yakani appealed to local communities to abandon all forms of violence, stating that such actions only lead to further destruction and suffering.
He urged leaders and community members to engage in dialogue and pursue peaceful resolutions instead.
This episode of violent incidents comes at a particularly unjustified moment, as the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) had recently initiated a disarmament campaign across Warrap and Unity States.
The campaign was initially designed to encourage youth to voluntarily surrender illegal weapons within a specified timeframe
SSPDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang warned that failure to comply with the disarmament initiative and hand over their weapons in the specified timeframe, coordinated and forceful measures would be applied.
The ongoing violence and the recent attack underline the need for different approaches to effective disarmament.
