Armed attackers have killed at least 60 people in central South Sudan, according to local officials and media, in the country’s latest deadly cattle raid.
The young nation has long been plagued by violent cattle raids but is now also seeing clashes between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and forces loosely allied with the opposition.
Two simultaneous attacks in Tonj North County, Alabek Payam in Warrap State, at around 4:00 am Sunday morning, resulted in the death of at least 60 people including 15 attackers, according to a local official.
Last year, Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency in the state after a surge of violent inter-communal cattle raids.
“The senseless act of violence is a direct violation of peace and stability efforts,” said Warrap spokesperson William Wol Mayom Bol in a statement on Monday, promising “immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
He said around 50 people were wounded, including 17 transferred to Wau town for treatment, and an unspecified number of cattle had been looted.
Bol added that the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) had been deployed to affected areas to “restore order, protect civilians, prevent further retaliatory attacks.”
The incident was also reported by the United Nations Radio Miraya, which gave the death toll as “at least 60 people.”
It said dozens more were wounded, hundreds of cattle had been looted, leaving people to flee into the bush.
Earlier this month, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Anita Kiki Gbeho, expressed concerns over the cycle of communal violence in places such as Warrap.
“Civilians continue to pay the highest price, facing displacement, losing lives, homes and livelihoods as a result of insecurity,” she told the UN Security Council.
Humanitarian workers are also facing increased danger in South Sudan, with 36 killed in 2026 alone, Gbeho said.
South Sudan, which achieved independence in 2011, is scheduled to hold its first elections in December but international observers have raised questions over the feasibility of polls.
Opposition leader Riek Machar remains in detention on trial, and clashes between forces loosely supporting him and others allied to the president are occurring across the nation.
