At least 72 people have been killed and 38 wounded in a coordinated attack targeting Akop Payam in Tonj North County, Warrap State, according to the state government.
In a statement dated October 26, the Warrap State government said armed elements from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State and sub-sections of Alabek Payam carried out the attack, which resulted in casualties on both sides.
The statement said 50 of those killed were from the attacking side, while 22 were from the victim’s side.
The government, led by Caretaker Governor Ustaz Angelo Ngot Mayar, condemned the attack and expressed concern over the growing involvement of armed groups in intercommunal violence across the area.
“The State Government, under the leadership of Hon. Ustaz Angelo Ngot Mayar, the Caretaker Governor of Warrap State, strongly condemns [the] incident of a coordinated attack by armed elements from Mayom County of Unity State and sub-sections of Alabek Payam,” the statement said.
The government also reported cattle raids at Majak-kou cattle camp, while two main markets in Athieng-puol and Rual-malith, along with selected households in villages across Akop Payam, were allegedly burned.
It warned against what it described as a growing pattern of retaliatory violence involving armed groups from Mayom County and communities in Alabek and Akop payams, particularly the Pan-Ariik and Pan-Mawien sub-clans.
The statement also linked the latest violence to a wider cycle of revenge killings in the region, citing a targeted killing on October 24 that reportedly claimed eight civilian lives, including a girl, in Mading-Juer.
In response to the attack, the Warrap State government said it had instructed security forces to deploy rapidly to Akop Payam and arrange the transfer of wounded people for medical treatment.
The government said Warrap and Unity state authorities were establishing communication to facilitate the recovery of raided cattle and identify those responsible for the violence.
“Warrap and Unity States are establishing communications to recover the raided cattle, identify the criminals involved and bring them to book,” the statement said.
The government also appealed for calm and restraint while calling on humanitarian organizations and well-wishers to assist people affected by the violence.
It said the attack had left vulnerable women, children and elderly people without adequate food, medicine and shelter.
The statement was signed by William Wol Mayom Bol, Caretaker Minister of Information and Communication Services in Warrap State.
The reported death toll and circumstances of the attack have not been independently verified. No response from the authorities in Unity State or representatives of the communities accused of involvement was included in the statement.
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