The authorities in Unity State have said that 6 school-going children were killed and a mother and her two children were abducted on Friday by armed youth suspected to be from Tonj North County in Warrap State.
John Bol Mayak, the Mayom County commissioner told Radio Tamazuj Sunday that the 4 boys and two girls were slain during the attack.
“Armed youth of Tonj North County’s Akop Payam killed 6 pupils, 4 boys, and 2 girls, on Friday, and they a mother, her 14- year- old girl, and an 8-month-old baby,” he said. “These people (abductees) were captured along the river and killed at Kuinam village as they were going to Riak Payam for primary eight mock examinations.”
Bol urged the authorities in Warrap State to trace and return the abductees.
“I do not have the phone number of the Tonj North County commissioner but I talked to the Gogrial East County commissioner about the issue and I reported this to my Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil,” he said. “I am still calling upon the authorities in Warrap State to return the mother and her two children if they are still alive because their bodies were not found. Only the dead bodies of the 6 children were recovered.”
Meanwhile, David Jigjor, the Unity State acting information minister said he had heard about the incident.
“I heard that such things happened along the border of Mayom and other counties of Warrap State and that fishermen from Warrap State killed 6 people and abducted 3 people on Friday,” he said.
On his part, Ayok Malueth, the Tonj North County commissioner, confirmed the incident and said his security agents are investigating the issue.
“The security situation within my county is fine only that a few days ago, armed youth from one of my payams attempted to raid cattle but they were chased away by SSPDF,” he said. “With Mayom County, there is still flood water along the border but I heard of the killings and abductions and deployed security personnel on the Tonj North-Mayom border and within the county to investigate.”
5 killed, 5 injured in Twic County
Relatedly, local authorities in Warrap State said on Saturday that armed youth suspected to be from Mayom County in Unity State attacked Bombil village in Ajak Kuach Payam of Twic County on Friday and killed 5 people, wounded 5, and torched villages.
Mangok Kom, the Twic County acting commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that the attackers came from Mayom County in Unity State and local youth later repulsed them.
“The armed youth from Mayom attacked Twic County and the Titweng armed youth repulsed them before the attackers crossed the river towards Biemnhom,” he explained. “The attackers killed 2 youths, 2 children, and their mother and they have also wounded 5 people who are now receiving treatment at the MSF health facility in Mayen Abun.”
Commissioner Kom said the local youth captured a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and 2 machine guns from the attackers.
Meanwhile, William Wol Mayom, the Warrap State information minister, confirmed the clashes.
“On the 3 February, the assailants believed to have come from Unity State attacked Bombil village in Ajak Kuach Payam,” he said. “The number of people killed was more than 3 including children, a mother, and others were wounded and houses were burned to ash.”
The minister said security will be restored in the area when the governors of Unity and Warrap state and the Abyei chief administrator hold a planned inter-state peace meeting in Juba soon.
On his part, John Bol Mayak, Unity State’s Mayom County commissioner, denied that armed youth from his area attacked the neighboring Twic County in Warrap State.
“It is not true! Mayom County does not have a problem with Twic. Instead, Abyei and Twic have their border problems and there are no Mayom people involved in Twic-Abyei clashes,” he said. “Also, Stephen Buoi’s rebel forces are there in the bushes of Ngok and these might be the people who attacked because they even killed the former commissioner of Mayom County last year.”
“If the assailants were from Mayom, they would have used the Kortong route to attack Twic County,” he added.
He said the people of Mayom and Twic County trade and have good relations.
Source: Radio Tamazuj