South Sudan cattle raid kills at least 60, official says

A cattle raid in central South Sudan killed at least 60 people, including 15 attackers, a local official said, in the latest deadly communal violence in Warrap State.

Warrap spokesperson William Wol Mayom Bol said two simultaneous attacks happened at around 4:00 a.m. Sunday in Tonj North County, Alabek Payam. He said about 50 people were wounded, including 17 transferred to Wau town for treatment, and that an unspecified number of cattle were looted.

Bol said the South Sudan People's Defence Force had been deployed to affected areas to restore order, protect civilians and prevent retaliatory attacks.

United Nations Radio Miraya also reported that at least 60 people were killed. It said dozens more were wounded, hundreds of cattle were looted and people fled into the bush.

South Sudan has long faced violent cattle raids and is also seeing clashes between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and forces loosely allied with the opposition. Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency in Warrap last year after a surge in violent inter-communal cattle raids.

Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of the UN mission in South Sudan, told the UN Security Council earlier this month that civilians were facing displacement and losing lives, homes and livelihoods because of insecurity. She said 36 humanitarian workers had been killed in South Sudan in 2026.