No fewer than 49 people were killed and 33 others injured when armed cattle raiders attacked a community of herders in Warrap State, South Sudan.

William Wol Mayom Bol, Warrap State Information Minister, confirmed the incident on Friday.

Mr Bol said the attackers, who included cattle raiders from neighbouring Unity State, stormed a cattle camp in Tonj North County at about 5:00 a.m. local time on Thursday.

He described the attack as “a brutal attack” and said the proliferation of firearms among civilians had worsened inter-communal violence in the country.

According to him, competition among herders over scarce grazing land and water for cattle was a major cause of recurring violence between communities.

The minister condoled with families of the victims and called for restraint as the governments of the two states worked together to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Nyakenya Johannes, Unity State’s Information Minister, said the attackers were not all from Unity State.

Mr Johannes, however, said authorities were working to promote peaceful coexistence among communities in the two states.

South Sudan is expected to conduct a presidential election in December, its first since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

(NAN)