icon search icon search icon facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon weather

Suspected raiders attack police post, kill officer in Gogrial East

Suspected raiders attack police post, kill officer in Gogrial East
Some recovered cattle are seen at SPLM compound in Turalei, shortly before being handed over to their rightful owners on Sunday, March 19, 2023. They were returned to the state by Mayom County authorities | Credit | Asunta Aluel Deng/Mayardit FM

A police officer was reported killed when unidentified armed men attacked his station in Gogrial East County, Warrap State, on Wednesday.

The 30-strong police force was deployed near Ajok cattle camp in January 2023 to protect the animals from raiders.

That evening around 6PM, gunmen attacked the post, killing Deng Kuot Awer, 42, according to the inspector of police in the county.

“The aim of the attack was to chase away the police so that the attackers could get a chance to raid the cattle. Unfortunately, they were repulsed,” Col Madut Anei told Mayardit FM on Thursday.

He believed the botched cattle raid was carried out by criminals from the neighboring Mayom County in Unity State.

However, this media outlet’s attempts to reach Mayom authorities for comment were not immediately successfully.

The attack comes barely two weeks after Mayom government returned to Twic County nearly 200 heads of cattle that it had retrieved from rustlers in the county.

Researchers argue that huge bride price is one of the main causes of cattle rustling in South Sudan

They say few families can afford such. However, many men – unable to meet rising dowry demands – enrol in militias and join cattle raids.