Clashes between cattle herders kill dozens in South Sudan

At least thirty-nine people were killed and dozens of others were wounded when violence broke out between rival groups of cattle herders in South Sudan, officials have said.

The clashes on Wednesday resulted in 19 deaths among herders from northwest Warrap, the state's information minister William Wol Mayom Bol said on Friday, adding that 17 people were injured in the violence.

"When we learned of the attack, the government of Warrap state dispatched two committees" to the area to lower tensions and protect civilians, he added.

The casualty toll in neighboring Lake State was "20 people killed, 36 wounded and one person is still missing," said police spokesman Major Elijah Mabor Makuac.

Makuac said the clashes had become a yearly occurrence, with rival cattle herding communities from the two states clashing for resources every dry season.

'Peaceful co-existence'

In a statement released on Thursday, Minister Bol said "the violence has been de-escalated but minor clashes are still being reported in inaccessible swampy areas".

He called for "peaceful co-existence and co-operation between the two sisterly states."

One of the poorest countries on the planet despite large oil reserves, South Sudan has spent almost half of its life as a nation at war, and has also endured persistent natural disasters, hunger, economic meltdown and communal conflict.

Last weekend, fighting between rival communities in a disputed region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan killed 54 people, including two United Nations peacekeepers.