At least 24 people were killed in armed assaults launched by cattle thieves on two villages in South Sudan on Monday, authorities reported.
Members of the ethnic Murle group targeted the village of Walgak in Jonglei state, according to village chief Gatluak Lam, speaking to the German Press Agency (DPA).
Gatluak Lam detailed that the assailants killed 10 civilians and three police officers, making off with approximately 300 head of cattle. Additionally, five more civilians were shot in the attack.
Another Murle group also launched an armed attack on the village of Agara in the same state on Monday, as reported by Oluong Peter Oyit, a regional official in Jonglei.
This second attack resulted in seven deaths and nine injuries. Oyit also noted that the attackers abducted 14 children and stole dozens of cattle and goats. Cattle rearing is a critical sector in the impoverished nation of South Sudan, which has a population of 11 million.
According to United Nations estimates, South Sudan is home to 12 million cattle, alongside similar numbers of sheep and goats. The country frequently witnesses repeated attacks and power struggles among competing groups, with cattle raiding being a common motive.
