South Sudan: Fresh Cross Border Attack By South Sudan's Murle Militants Kill 10, Injure 12 in Gambella Region

WFP Juba
Map of South Sudan
22 May 2023
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba — A fresh attack by the Murle tribe militants from neighboring South Sudan in the Nuer zone of Ethiopia's Gambella region has killed 10 individuals, while 12 others sustained minor and serious injuries.

The attackers initiated the assault by indiscriminately opening fire on local people in two woredas namely Wantuwa and Makuwei during the late hours of Saturday, 20 May according to the regional government press secretariat.

According to the press secretariat, the chief administrator of the Nuer zone said the gunmen infiltrated the border on Saturday night, resulting in one fatality and one injury in the Bilkech kebele of Makuwei woreda, whereas the militants claimed the lives of nine individuals and inflicted serious and minor injuries on eleven others in Mekaneyesus Church of Matahar town of Wantuwa woreda.

Individuals with critical injuries have been promptly transferred to Gambella General Hospital for urgent medical treatment, while those with minor injuries have sought care at local healthcare facilities, it stated.

Gambela region's vice president Tenkuwe Jok, along with other top officials visited the victims on Sunday, and expressed profound grief over the incident while unequivocally condemning the actions carried out by the Murle tribe militants.

He underscored the unwavering commitment of the regional government to bring the attackers to justice and affirmed that robust protective measures would be implemented to prevent any recurrence of such incidents in the future.

On 07 February the Murle tribe militants attacked Utuyo village in Gog district of Anyuak zone, killing two people and critically injuring another one, the region's communications bureau reported.

In January last year the Gambella police commission said militiamen from South Sudan's Murle tribe crossed the border and launched an attack on the region leaving eight people dead and five others injured.

It was followed by another attack in the second week of February, same year, where Murle armed men killed one, injured two others and abducted three children in Dima Refugee Camp and Gog district of Anyuak zone.

The regional government has repeatedly called on communities to actively defend their localities in addition to the government's attempts to stop similar attacks in the two zones sharing wider border with South Sudan; Anyuak and Nuer. AS

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