Suspected Turkana rustlers injure police officer in Nadapal cattle raid

(radiotamazuj.org)

The local authorities in Kapoeta East County in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State have confirmed that a police officer in charge of the border town of Nadapal was on Monday shot and injured by suspected Turkana cattle rustlers from neighboring Kenya.

The Eastern Equatoria State deputy police commissioner, Major General John Luny, confirmed that armed Turkana pastoralists stormed Nadapal and rustled 500 heads of cattle which were eventually recovered by Toposa youth after clashes and that calm had returned to the area.

“We are aware of the cattle raid and fighting but this is a normal thing between the Turkana and Toposa. The Turkana came and took 500 head of cattle and in the process, a police captain was injured in the crossfire,” he explained. “The situation is now calm there and all the 500 cattle were recovered. Governor Louis Lobong also talked to the Kenyan authorities and the positive result was that a committee will be formed so that the border is peaceful ad there are no further attacks.”

On his part, Kapoeta East County Commissioner Abdalla Angelo Lokeno, attributed the Turkana attack to access to pasture and watering points.

“The Turkana civilians from Kenya need grass and water and they came to Mountain Mogila where our civilians also migrated with their cattle because it is our territory and it has water and pasture. Unfortunately, the Kenyans wanted to control the whole mountain and they attacked our civilians in Nadapal where our government forces are, and shot a police captain,” he said. “Our civilians fought with them and they were chased up to the border but the Kenyan security gave a wrong report that soldiers from South Sudan attacked their position.”

“I told them that our forces cannot attack another country unless they are authorized by the president so they have stopped the aggression and there is peace in the area and vehicles are moving normally,” he added.