By Matik Kueth
At least five people were reportedly killed and two others injured in an intercommunal clash in Mayom County, Unity State, on Sunday, according to local authorities.
James Liliy Kuol, Commissioner of Mayom County, told King Media on Monday that the fighting broke out between the Chiejoak and Chiebiliew subclans in the Kuinaam area.
He explained that the violence erupted when armed members of the Chiejoak subclan attacked Chiebiliew men in Tharkuer village, where the latter had reportedly stopped to rest.
“Yes, the incident happened yesterday [Sunday] when Chiejoak attacked Chiebiliew, who traveled to Tharkuer and had resorted to taking a rest in the village there. But unfortunately, they were attacked and five of them were killed and two others wounded,” Kuol said.
Kuol noted that the Chiejoak subclan was retaliating for the killing of four of their men by Chiebiliew earlier this month, and that the process of blood compensation is still ongoing.
“They attacked them because they were avenging their four brothers who were killed by Chiebiliew in the beginning of this month,” he stated.
He further disclosed that security forces have been dispatched to Tharkuer village to apprehend those responsible for the attack.
The long-standing rivalry between the Chiejoak and Chiebiliew subclans remains unresolved, as the perpetrators of the recent and previous killings are still in hiding.
This recent violence occurs despite President Salva Kiir’s declaration of a state of emergency on June 6, 2025, in Warrap State and Unity State’s Mayom County, to address the rising intercommunal clashes.
Nevertheless, intercommunal violence continues to surge in Mayom, even as disarmament efforts are underway in the area.