Horror as 57 killed and 65 injured in brutal slaughter for 5,000 cows | World | News

An armed gang killed at least 57 people after a brutal attack on villages following a dawn raid. A local official said the incident occurred in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State.

The attackers attacked just after 5.30am and fired their weapons randomly at residents in the Adong Payam area. Baliet County Commissioner Joseph Deng said 65 people were injured, 29 of whom were in critical condition. “A tragic situation has arisen in Adong today,” he told Radio Tamazu. “Our search for the missing continues”

He said the attackers most likely entered the area from neighboring Ulang and Nasir districts.

Both saw clashes between government forces and youth-armed militias known as the White Army.

Deng said the attackers fled with more than 5,300 cattle and villagers fled their homes in terror.

Despite the high security alert, police and army personnel were clearly caught off guard and unprepared.

“Since the violence in Nasir, we have been witnessing repeated attacks by criminals,” he said. “Our forces did not expect this raid, which was carried out in the early hours of the morning.”

Cattle raids remain a persistent source of violence in South Sudan, where law enforcement is weak. Heavily armed youth groups and long-standing tensions between communities make it difficult for authorities to prevent the practice.

This comes as the country descended into political chaos on Thursday after South Sudan’s leader fired one of his vice presidents.

Benjamin Bol Mel was suggested as a possible successor to Salva Kiir before his dismissal.

Kiir stripped Bol Mel of his rank as a military general and fired him from the national security agency.

He also dismissed the central bank governor and the head of the revenue authority, who were seen as close allies of Bol Mel.