An armed raid on a seasonal cattle camp and village in the northwest of South Sudan has killed at least 49 people, according to local officials. The attack, which also wounded 33 people, took place early Thursday when gunmen targeted the Machar-Pakuek cattle camp and Mading Juer Boma in Majak Payam, Tonj North County, Warrap State, an official statement said.

The young African nation is plagued by violent cattle raids, with herders competing for scarce grazing lands and water for their livestock. Warrap State spokesperson William Wol Mayom Bol described the attack as being carried out by an “armed cross-border criminal network.”

“We extend heartfelt condolences to the families that lost loved ones in the attack and appeal for restraint,” he added. The local government condemned the assault and called on humanitarian organizations to help respond to the “humanitarian catastrophe resulting from conflict-induced displacement.”

This attack comes barely three weeks after another raid in the same area left 60 people dead and 50 wounded. Last year, President Salva Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency across South Sudan amid a surge of violent inter-communal cattle raids.

Earlier this month, the head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Anita Kiki Gbeho, expressed concerns over the cycle of communal violence in places such as Warrap, highlighting the persistent instability in the region.

Source: www.aljazeera.com