By Matik Kueth
At least 14 people were killed and 23 others injured after armed attackers stormed Panyagai cattle camp in Budang Payam, Rubkona County, Unity State, on Tuesday night, according to officials.
The attack, which reportedly began at around 10:00 p.m. and lasted for nearly an hour, resulted in the theft of more than 200 cattle and the killing of dozens of livestock.
Nyakenya Johannes Keah, Unity State’s Information Minister, told King Media in an interview on Wednesday that a suspected armed youth from Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA) attacked Roproak cattle camp in Panyagai village, noting that children and women were among those killed.
“The incident actually occurred last night at around 10 p.m. There’s a place called Roproak in Panyagai, Budang Payam of Rubkona County. These criminals have been confirmed to be coming from a real administrative area, and they launched an attack at that area also and it was a very ugly scenario,” Nyakenya said.
She added, “The death of 14 people is not it’s not something easy; even the death of one person is a disaster, so it happened that 14 people lost their lives, of which eight of them are children. There are also six men. There is one woman some time to die as well, and also a girl.”
According to the minister, the wounded victims are currently receiving treatment while local authorities continue assessing the full scale of the destruction.
“The 23 individuals are sustaining there, and they are receiving medical treatment at the Unity Oil facility at the moment, and of course, even cattle were raided over 200 head of cattle and uh, some of the cattle were also killed, like about 40 or so; that is what happened,” she said.
The latest incident has heightened tensions between Rubkona County and the neighboring Ruweng Administrative Area, where accusations of cattle raiding and cross-border attacks have frequently strained relations between communities.
However, when contacted by King Media, Ruweng Information Minister Salva Nyok denied that youth from the area were involved in the attack on Payangai village.
“The allegations that our youth attacked Rubkona County are false. What we know is that armed youth from Unity State attacked our area on Tuesday night. We are still gathering information, and more details will be shared later this afternoon,” he stated.
Cattle raiding remains one of the leading drivers of communal violence across northern South Sudan, particularly in Unity State and the Ruweng Administrative Area.
Competition over land disputes and retaliatory attacks has repeatedly triggered deadly confrontations between armed youth from the two neighboring areas.
Relations between Rubkona County and Ruweng have been marked by years of accusations and counter-accusations over cattle theft and armed incursions.
In June 2024, clashes linked to a cattle raid left at least 17 people dead and disrupted operations around oil-producing areas in Ruweng.
Authorities in Ruweng accused armed youth from Rubkona of carrying out a revenge attack to recover stolen cattle, allegations that deepened mistrust between the two sides.
Months later, reports emerged that youth in Ruweng were mobilizing for possible retaliatory attacks against communities in Rubkona County.
Community leaders in Ruweng denied the claims, insisting there was no organized mobilization and calling for peaceful coexistence between the neighboring populations.
The cycle of violence continued into 2025
Authorities in Ruweng accused armed youth from Unity State of raiding thousands of cattle from Parieng County, while officials in Unity State disputed aspects of the allegations, reflecting the recurring pattern of claims and denials that often follows such incidents.
In another major security incident, armed youth from Mayom County attacked Abiemnom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area in April 2025.
Local officials reported that the attackers raided cattle before overrunning parts of the county headquarters, forcing residents and local authorities to flee.
Security concerns in Abiemnom escalated further in 2026 when a large-scale attack left scores of civilians dead, prompting widespread condemnation and renewed calls for stronger protection of communities living along the border areas between Unity State and Ruweng.
The latest attack on Payangai village comes amid a long history of cattle raids, revenge killings, and competing narratives between Rubkona County and the Ruweng Administrative Area.
While authorities on both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility for attacks, denials have become a familiar feature of the conflict, underscoring the deep mistrust that persists between the two neighboring areas.