At least seven people were killed and five others wounded when armed criminals believed to be from Panyijiar County in Unity State attacked a fishing site along the Riverside in Yirol East County, Lakes State. The incident has reignited calls for urgent cross-border security cooperation and accountability.
Acting Minister of Information and Communication for Lakes State, William Koji Kerjok, confirmed the attack, stating that the assailants struck the riverside location, killing seven instantly and injuring five. Several others fled into surrounding bushes and remain unaccounted for.
“These are criminals from Panyijiar County of Unity State,” Kerjok said. “They used to kill people in Yirol East County and run back to Panyijiar.
The government of Lakes State will continue to track them down. ”He revealed that the Yirol East County Commissioner and organized forces are currently pursuing the suspects. “If they are caught, they will be arrested,” he assured.Kerjok appealed to Unity State authorities to rein in the armed youth. “We will continue to ask the government of Unity State if at all they can stop these young people from creating criminal activities from neighboring states.
Our people have lost lives, property, and now live in fear—especially those farming. This is a great disaster. The Unity State government needs to do something; innocent lives cannot be taken every day.”While acknowledging that crime exists everywhere, he stressed: “It is the responsibility of the concerned authority to ensure criminal activities are minimized.”Civil society activist Daniel Laat Kon Ater of the Community
Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) strongly condemned the attack.
“This is a very unfortunate situation. We condemn it in the strongest terms possible,” Ater said. “Yirol East has repeatedly been targeted by suspected armed criminals from Panyijiar County due to lack of protection, and innocent lives are being lost.
”He urged Lakes State to deploy security forces immediately. “The state government must put more attention on this and deploy troops to protect lives and property in Yirol East County.”Ater also called on Unity State: “The government there must hold these criminals accountable. The perpetrators have to be brought to book for relative calm to return to the border.
Accountability must take its course.”Extending condolences, he said: “We regret this incident and call upon the families of the deceased. May their souls rest in peace.”Warning against retaliation, Ater emphasized: “Let the government handle this. If people seek revenge, more lives will be lost. Only through official accountability can justice prevail.
”The attack highlights persistent inter-communal tensions along the Lakes-Unity border, driven by competition over fishing grounds, farmland, and grazing areas. Without coordinated state-level intervention, such violence risks escalating South Sudan’s fragile security landscape.Authorities in both states are under pressure to collaborate on joint patrols and dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.
