By Jacob Achiek Jok
BOR, 21 October 2012 [Gurtong] – “In Twic East, a group of men who went to inspect a dyke in Nyuak Payam fell into an ambush laid by unknown gunmen in military uniform on Friday killing three of them instantly”, the county’s Commissioner Dau Akoi Jurkuch said.
Around 415 heads of cattle were stolen from Ajuong Payam of Twic East County at 5pm and some other heads of cattle were raided in Uror County on Friday.
It is suspected that the raiders were from the Murle ethnic group of Pibor County.
In Bor County, a woman who left Kolnyang village for Malual-Agor-Baar on the White Nile River about 13 Kilometers from Bor town along Bor-Juba road was shot dead by unknown gunmen.
The same armed group is suspected of attempting to steal cattle near Malaual-Agor-Baar.
They raiders were pursued by the army but no capture was reported.
According to the police, the woman was eight months pregnant.
"She was shot on her left chest, and she died instantly. One of them came with the spear, put one of his foot on her chest and speared her chest several times, it is inhuman," said Atong Ateny, one of police officers who collected her body.
Kuol Bol Ayom one of the members of parliament representing Athoch North Constituency 28 which largely falls under Jale Payam, said he strongly disputed the claim of “putting the attacks on Yau Yau.”
He said one of his colleagues in the parliament made the same claim over the media last week by attributing the cases of raid, abduction and killing in Bor to the rebels of David Yau Yau.
“The people who are killing people here, looting cattle and abducting children have economic reasons, while David Yau Yau has political reasons of fighting against the government. How are these related now?” he asked.
He explained that the raiders, who are also abducting children “are getting guns and ammunition from the rebels to suffice their economic agenda.”
The MP blamed the SPLA forces of disarmament for having failed to disarm the youth of Murle who have escaped the disarmament since April.
“Now SPLA is saying they are not able to disarm them in the wet season, what is the right time for them to be disarmed? During the dry season, SPLA said they were not able to reach the Murle Youth who escaped, and now they say there is water everywhere, which time is the best for them to disarm Murle?” asked Bor.
Twic East Commissioner said that the "lack of rifles" in the hands of cattle herders had meant that they were not able to protect or retrieve any of the stolen cattle.
He said that the SPLA soldiers stationed in the area were not close enough to the scene to react to incident.
“We have no other people to suspect other than our neighbours in Pibor Payam of Gumuruk”, said the commissioner, explaining that the footprints of the cattle were moving in that direction.
He said that this was the first incident of cattle theft in his county since the Jonglei Peace Agreement was signed in May.
Commissioner urged the county authorities in Pibor and Jonglei government to make sure that the cattle are returned to the owners.