A South Sudanese lawmaker reported on Saturday that at least five people died and numerous others were injured during inter-communal violence in South Sudan’s Lakes State.

The fighting unfolded over Wednesday and Thursday in Cueibet County, pitting the Panyar and Ruotruot subsections of the Gok community against each other, according to Manyot Magar, the parliamentary representative for the area.

Magar, an SPLM-IO opposition member, said the conflict started when armed youths from the Ruotruot section stole cattle from the Panyar section. As the victims pursued the raiders to retrieve their livestock, gunfire erupted, resulting in the deaths of four Panyar cattle keepers and one Ruotruot attacker.

Remarkably, the clashes happened while a high-level state peace delegation—headed by Governor Rin Tueny Mabor and including veteran politician Daniel Awet Akot—was conducting reconciliation meetings in the county.

“That incident took place in the presence of Governor Rin Tueny and Awet Akot in Cueibet county,” Magar stated.

He pointed out that no security personnel were deployed to stop the violence and that several injured people stayed away from medical facilities out of fear of being detained. The lawmaker blamed ongoing instability on a long-standing leadership gap and the absence of basic government structures.

“There is no government in Cueibet county,” he declared, while faulting the state-appointed acting commissioner for failing to maintain order. Magar urged President Salva Kiir Mayardit to promptly install an SPLM-IO candidate as the permanent county commissioner, in line with the provisions of the peace accord.

Daniel Laat Kon, the Lakes State coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), verified the outbreak of violence and voiced deep worry. He argued that a short visit by the governor’s team would not resolve the deep-rooted issues in Cueibet.

“A few days’ visit alone cannot solve the problem in Cueibet county and is not enough,” Laat Kon said.

Instead, he advocated for ongoing confidence-building talks and the immediate naming of a full-time commissioner, noting that the current power vacuum has fueled criminal acts and cycles of retribution.

In much of South Sudan, cattle raiding remains a frequent spark for deadly clashes, frequently intensifying existing community rivalries.