Jadalla calls for urgent action after deadly Mogiri cattle raid
Governor Jadalla described the incident as senseless, saying that the criminal act needs immediate action
By James Chatim
Central Equatoria State Governor, Augustino Jadalla has called for urgent action after the deadly cattle raid that claimed 22 lives in Mogiri town on Wednesday.
According to authorities, the civilians from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area who were driving some cattle to Mangalla were attacked in Mogiri town, leading to the death of 22 people and theft of more than 600 cattle.
Following the incident, the Central Equatoria Governor and the Jonglei State Governor Mahjoub Biel, and the Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Gola Boyoi traveled to the scene and condemned the incident in a joint media statement.
Governor Jadalla described the incident as senseless, saying that the criminal act needs immediate action.
“We have come into the incident site and are deeply saddened by what occurred. It is a tragic occurrence and I believe this is the second or the third act of such incident to happen in this place. We are not happy with what had happened,” he said.
“We see the Mogiri as a hub connecting four States; Eastern Equatoria State, Central Equatoria State, Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area,” he added.
“We need to unite and guarantee the inclusion of Eastern Equatoria State. As four States, we have to unite and build laws, foundations and regulations so that our citizens can live together and peacefully. It is not a difficult issue, but it only needs a political will,” Governor Jadalla said.
Cattle raiding has been a traditional practice within pastoralist society to restock cattle. Life for these communities revolves around cattle which are a symbol of wealth and status and the main asset for herders and pastoralist communities. They are bartered for grain, sold for cash, and even used in traditional ceremonies. Many nomadic communities live and move from place to place with their cattle.
Cattle raiding has always been a source of insecurity to the health and well-being of these communities, with violent raids causing death and loss of cattle resulting in loss of food and income.
Some cattle raiding goes hand-in-hand with the parallel trade in illegal small arms, and after decades of civil conflict and an increase in weapons, raiders are now heavily armed and military-style attacks on whole communities can claim hundreds of lives at a time.
The practice has been incorporated into the complex political conflict, where groups have manipulated these local conflicts to mobilise armed herders for political gain. This has only intensified the violence and increased challenges towards peacebuilding in the country. Civilians are frequently incorporated into cattle raids, turning the practice into deadly organised crime. Cattle raiding is considered a form of revenge attack on enemy groups to weaken their financial strength by looting their cattle. Commercialisation of cattle raids, whereby cattle stolen from far away communities are sold in markets in exchange for cash, has been a lucrative income for many communities. Often these transactions take place with full knowledge and active support of local elders and leaders, making it impossible to denounce the practice or bring the culprits to justice.
Cattle raids are also hugely linked to cattle dowries, which are the payment of bride prices in the form of cattle. In the rural culture of South Sudan, marriage is very important and traditionally the family of a prospective groom offers the bride’s family a dowry in the form of cattle. The dowry can range from 35 to 200 head of cattle with the current market rates of US$300 per head, a total of $10,000 and $60,000.
