JUBA— The Chief Administrator of South Sudan’s Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Gola Boyoi Gola, on Thursday called on youth of Gumuruk County to stop cattle raiding and child and women abduction to create a conducive environment for peace.
While addressing people during his visit to Gumuruk County on Thursday, Gola called on youth to end inter-ethnic skirmishes alongside the menace of child abductions and cattle theft.
“We don’t want killing, road ambushes, and we don’t want stealing of cattle and child abduction; we want you to be peaceful people. We should work together and live in peaceful coexistence,” Gola said.
Gola urged the communities of Gumuruk County to embrace peace to foster development.
“What I want from you with all this love and massive reception is understanding, and I am telling you to stop fighting,” he said.
“I am telling you to stop attacking our neighbors. I want you to be peace lovers so that development can come to your area.”
He urged the communities of Pibor to denounce confrontation with neighbors to foster peaceful coexistence.
“If there is fighting, there will be no development, and if there is stealing of cattle, this will hinder development,” he said.
He promised to prioritize security and road construction in regional
“Our county has abundant natural resources; we have wildlife, mining, and fertilized land for agriculture. We are blessed in South Sudan, but we are not able to accept each other and live in peace, and we don’t love each other,” he said.
He stressed the need for stability to allow development to take place.
“We should all work together and start from where we stopped last time. The issue of road construction will proceed, and security will be our first priority.”
The GPPA region bordering Ethiopia to the east has long been plagued by ethnic fighting over cattle grazing grounds and access to water sources.
The region is prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle, and Dinka tribes, who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other, killing hundreds and destroying property alongside child abduction.
Authorities in Jonglei state have blamed some incidents of violence on armed Murle youth from the neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
