Two women wounded in Nyirol County by armed attackers from Pibor

By Awan Achiek

At least two women were seriously injured during Wednesday’s attack in Nyirol County of Jonglei State by armed youth from neighboring Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).

Biel Jiek Lual, Nyirol, the Nyiror County Information Director told Dawn on Wednesday that the incident in Wunbil Boma of Nyirol County happened at around 6 A.M in the morning, adding that the suspected Murle attackers did not raid any cattle.

“They just opened fire on these women in their homes,” Lual told The Dawn in an interview.

He said the women are currently being treated for gunshot wounds in the county health facility.

Lual called on the Jonglei state government and that of GPAA to find solution to end the rampant abduction of children and women and killing of innocent civilians.

This incident is the second of its kind in less than a week after a similar incident in Baidit Payam of Bor County on 3 December left one person dead and two others wounded.

In addition, two children in Baidit payam were abducted.

Abraham Kelang, Information Minister of GPAA said he had no information about the attack on Nyirol County.

“We didn’t hear this information from government authorities in Jonglei and we don’t know when this incident occurred and there is no official communication from our counterparts,” said Kelang.

“But they said suspected criminals from Murle, we didn’t come across that and the suspected people are not from Murle because there is no clear information about it,” he added.

Jonglei state has been mired in rampant communal violence characterized by cattle raiding, revenge killings, and child abductions.

Authorities in Jonglei state have blamed some incidents of violence on armed Murle youth from the neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

Denay Jock Chagor, Governor of Jonglei State while appearing before lawmakers  in the national legislative assembly in October, said that more than 266 abducted children and women were traced and reunited with their families between 2021 and 2023 in Greater Jonglei state.

He said his state had returned 255 abductees to GPAA while the authority of GPAA had handed over to them only 11 abductees between 2021 and 2023.