At least 41 killed in South Sudan's Jonglei region tribal violence

JUBA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 41 people have been killed and 24 others injured in South Sudan's Jonglei region in tribal violence that has beset the region for the past three days, local government officials said Thursday.

Joseph Mayen Akoon, Jonglei state police commissioner, told Xinhua on the phone in Juba that armed bandits launched an attack on Paliau of Jonglei region on Wednesday, leaving five people dead, 17 others injured and 100 cows raided.

Akoon added that the attackers are believed to have converged from the directions of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).

Jonglei state secretary-general, Mabior Atem Mabior disclosed that another separate attack occurred on Tuesday in Maar village in Twic East County leaving seven people dead.

Peter Lebelek, secretary-general of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said that 29 civilians were also killed and an unknown number displaced on Thursday.

"Twenty-nine people, including the elderly, have been killed, seven others wounded. The attackers abducted women and children, people are displaced, and the attackers are still in Gumuruk," Lebelek said.

The officials called on the national government to immediately dispatch troops for urgent intervention and deployment to patrol the areas as a way to curb the further killing of civilians.

The Jonglei region bordering Ethiopia to the east has long been plagued by ethnic fighting over cattle grazing grounds and access to water.

Last month, President Salva Kiir constituted a high-level committee to probe and find a solution to the region prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle and Dinka tribes who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other.