(MAGWI) – South Sudanese cattle herders recently expelled from Uganda have called on the government in Juba to assist them with safe transportation and protection as they prepare to return to their home states.
The herders, who were evicted from Atiak sub-county in Amuru District in Northern Uganda, have been stranded in the Mugali area of Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State since their removal.
Captain Deng Leek, a representative of the herders, confirmed the expulsion and said they are under pressure from Eastern Equatoria authorities to leave Mugali, where they had temporarily taken shelter.
“We are under pressure from the state authorities of Eastern Equatoria to leave this place,” Deng stated in a phone interview. While expressing readiness to comply, he added, “We need security and transport if we are to leave safely.”
The herders have made a direct appeal to the South Sudan national government to support their movement back to their home states, particularly Jonglei, where most of them originate. According to current exchange rates, the cost of transport and logistics could run into millions of South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), amounting to thousands of US dollars.
Magwi County Commissioner Polepole Benjamin Olum called for urgent national-level intervention to help prevent possible conflict between the stranded herders and the local community. He warned that the presence of cattle keepers continues to cause tension.
“Our community has made it clear. They will not host the cattle herders again,” Olum said. He added that the herders’ cattle have previously destroyed farmland and that when communities demanded compensation, some herders responded with hostility, often while armed.
The commissioner reported that meetings were held with the herders on 12 and 18 July 2025, where authorities reminded them of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in April this year. That agreement, endorsed by leaders from Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, reaffirmed earlier presidential directives from 2015 and 2017 requiring the relocation of cattle from Greater Equatoria.
“The state has reiterated its commitment to uphold the MoU, but we need national level support,” Olum said. He noted that even government troops stationed in Mugali have expressed concern about the herders’ proximity to farming areas allocated for local use.
“Delays in their removal are increasing fear within the community,” Olum warned.
The region has experienced violence in the past linked to cattle migration. Deadly clashes between herders and local residents occurred in Magwi County in 2022 and again in January 2025, resulting in loss of life, destruction of homes and crops, and displacement of hundreds of people.
South Sudan’s seasonal cattle movements have historically led to tensions in Equatoria, especially when herders from Jonglei move southward in search of grazing land during the dry season. However, recent efforts, including high level forums and presidential orders, have aimed to regulate this movement and reduce conflict.
Despite these measures, implementation remains slow. Herders continue to move without coordination and state authorities report difficulties enforcing agreements without national level logistics, security and financial support.
With hundreds of herders and thousands of cattle still stranded in Eastern Equatoria, many are now calling on the Ministry of Livestock and the Ministry of Interior to step in and help manage their safe and peaceful return, in line with national policy and peacebuilding efforts.
