South Sudan cattle raid kills 49, official says

At least 49 people were killed and 33 wounded in northwestern South Sudan on Thursday when armed attackers raided a cattle camp and a village, a local official said.

The attack took place at 5:00 a.m. local time and targeted the Machar-Pakuek cattle camp and Mading Juer Boma in Majak Payam, Tonj North County, Warrap State, according to an official statement.

Warrap spokesperson William Wol Mayom Bol said the attack was carried out by an “armed cross-border, criminal network”. The local government condemned the attack and appealed for restraint.

Bol also called on humanitarian organisations to help respond to what he described as a humanitarian catastrophe caused by conflict-induced displacement.

South Sudan has long faced violent cattle raids. Last year, President Salva Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency in Warrap State after a surge in inter-communal cattle raids. The latest attack came about three weeks after another cattle raid in the area left 60 people dead and 50 wounded.

Earlier this month, Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, expressed concern about cycles of communal violence in places including Warrap. She said 36 humanitarian workers had been killed in South Sudan in 2026.