Night Raid on Jonglei Canal Settlement
A quiet December night in Jonglei State broke violently at 11 p.m. as unidentified gunmen stormed a herders’ camp bordering Panyagoor, local officials report.
County Commissioner Juac Arok Juac said the assailants travelled along the Jonglei Canal, killing four residents, including one woman, and injuring a man before driving off 300 cattle.
“The timing, during Christmas, shocks us,” he stated, calling the raid “deeply unfortunate” while directing security units to pursue the attackers.
Suspicions Point Toward Greater Pibor Youth
Eyewitnesses heard the Murle language and watched the attackers leave toward the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, leading officials to suspect armed youth from that region.
Greater Pibor Information Minister Jacob Werchum Jouk responded, saying he had received no reports implicating local youth and would “consult security organs for clarity”.
Persistent Cycle of Armed Cattle Raids
Cattle raids, fuelled by automatic rifles and a thriving illicit arms trade, remain common across Jonglei and Pibor, where pastoral livelihoods hinge on contested grazing corridors.
Multiple government disarmament drives have reduced some firepower, analysts note, yet mobile youth militias quickly rearm, undercutting community peace pacts brokered since 2020.
Community Appeals and Policy Hopes
Local chiefs in Twic East now urge national authorities and humanitarian partners to bolster early-warning networks, arguing that rapid information flow can save lives and cattle.
Observers believe the new national roadmap for security sector reform, if fully funded, could complement these grassroots mechanisms and curb the seasonal bloodshed.
For now, families near Panyagoor mourn loved ones while scanning distant plains where 300 branded cows, vital to their economy and culture, have vanished into the night.