At least 57 people were killed on Friday after armed men staged a dawn assault on a civilian community in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, according to local authorities.
Baliet County Commissioner Joseph Deng told Radio Tamazuj that the attack occurred around 5:30 a.m. in Adong Payam, where gunmen opened fire indiscriminately on residents. He said 65 others were wounded, including 29 in critical condition.
“This is a tragic situation in Adong today,” Deng said. “Search operations are still ongoing for those who remain missing.”
According to the commissioner, the assailants are believed to have crossed into Baliet from neighbouring Ulang and Nasir counties. He described them as “criminal elements.” Officials in the two counties were not immediately available for comment.
The attackers reportedly drove away more than 5,300 cattle, prompting widespread displacement as frightened villagers fled their homes.
Deng said security forces had been on heightened alert in recent weeks due to ongoing tensions, but the scale and timing of Friday’s attack caught them by surprise.
“We have been witnessing recurring attacks from criminals since the violence in Nasir,” he said. “This early-morning raid was unexpected.”
Baliet County lies about 20 kilometres southeast of Malakal. Parts of Ulang and Nasir counties have been the scene of renewed clashes this year between armed youth groups, known as the White Army, and government forces.
Cattle raiding continues to fuel deadly violence across South Sudan, where limited law enforcement, widespread firearms and long-standing intercommunal tensions make such attacks difficult to prevent.
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