BENTIU, South Sudan – Fighting erupted early Monday between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and local armed youth in Panyijiar County, Unity State, near the border with Lakes State. The violence left at least six people dead, officials said, November 18.
The clashes began in Pachenjok when youth armed with heavy weaponry resisted attempts by SPLA-IO forces to recover cattle allegedly stolen from Lakes State months earlier, eyewitnesses and officials told Sudans Post. The SPLA-IO contingent, led by Panyijiar County Commissioner Gabriel Majok Bol, sought to retrieve the livestock, escalating tensions that culminated in violence.
“A big number of people were killed when the local government, under Commissioner Gabriel Majok Bol, attempted to retrieve the cattle by force,” a government official said on condition of anonymity.
The SPLA-IO forces were initially pushed back to Panyijiar County headquarters, but renewed fighting occurred mid-morning as government troops launched a second offensive, a local resident said. Sources confirmed six fatalities, including two SPLA-IO personnel.
Panyijiar County borders Lakes State, a region plagued by intercommunal violence and cattle raiding since South Sudan’s 2011 independence. The county remains tense as officials attempt to mediate the conflict.
