The commissioner of Magwi County in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state David Otto Remson is blamimg cattle herders for what he describes as massive displacement in Mugali Payam since last week
According to Commissioner Otto, over 1000 residents of Mugali have been displaced and are now seeking refuge in Nimule payam
He says the cattle herders stormed the area last week, he accused them of torturing residents, looting and raping women leading to the current dislodgment of the locals most of whom are women and children
Commissioner Otto said cattle are being grazed on people’s compounds and gardens.
He called on the cattle herders to quickly evacuate the area and take their cattle to the places of origin
Meanwhile the town clerk for Nimule town council Max Yousif Khalafala confirmed the that the displaced residents of Mugali are currently in his area.
“It is true people have been displaced from Mugali and are now in Nimule, this is because of the chaos caused by cattle herders. They are currently sheltering in the church compound.” Said Khalafala.
The town clerk believes the only way to overcome the challenge of cattle keepers is to remove them completely from the area
“Recently we had a meeting with cattle keepers plus some officers to tell them to evacuate based on presidential orders but the cattle keepers requested for four months but we said no this is the order from above in the national level. We want it to be implemented but since then the issue remains unimplemented and the cattle keepers continue to beat civilians in the areas they go to,” he added.
The local official decries the slow implementation of cattle evacuation in the area and says will affect farming in Magwi county
