At least three people have been reportedly killed in two separate incidents in Eastern Lakes State. According to the state minister of information, one incident occurred when armed assailants attacked herders along the Yirol-Aluakluak road on Wednesday. Simon Tueny said the attackers came from the neighboring Western Lakes State. “Armed youth from Western Lakes came in and laid ambush along the road between Yirol and Aluak-Luak, killed herders and drove away nine heads of cattle,” he told Eye Radio on Thursday. The other incident took place last week. A different armed youth group attacked a cattle camp, leaving two cattlemen dead. Eastern Lakes has been witnessing series of revenge killings and cattle raiding incidents since 2011. In August, the state government said it has set up a special court to address communal issues in the state. The courts would cover a wide range of offences including, armed robbery and crimes against the state and public order offences. The move was to try to resolve violent disputes among the Atuot, Ciet and Aliab clans of Eastern Lakes.
