Armed raid on cattle camp kills at least 49 in South Sudan

What the report says

An armed raid in northwest South Sudan killed at least 49 people and wounded 33, according to local officials cited by Al Jazeera. The attack hit the Machar-Pakuek cattle camp and Mading Juer Boma in Majak Payam, Tonj North County, Warrap State, early on Thursday. Authorities said gunmen targeted both a seasonal cattle camp and a nearby village.

Al Jazeera reported that Warrap state officials described the attackers as part of a cross-border criminal network. Local leaders condemned the violence, offered condolences to bereaved families and urged restraint. They also appealed for humanitarian support, saying the assault had caused displacement and a wider crisis for affected communities.

The article places the raid in the context of recurring cattle-related violence in South Sudan, where competition over grazing land and water has often fueled conflict. It also notes that the attack followed another raid in the same area less than three weeks earlier that killed 60 people and injured 50, and that President Salva Kiir had declared a six-month state of emergency last year in response to escalating inter-communal violence.

Al Jazeera also said the head of the UN mission in South Sudan had recently raised concerns about the cycle of communal violence in Warrap and similar areas.