Khartoum, Sudan - Dozens of people, including women and children, were reportedly killed and an unspecified number injured when cattle raiders attacked villages in Mayendit county in the Unity State, South Sudan. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its weekly bulletin Sunday that on 10 September, a cattle raid took place in the Mayendit County in which 'dozens of people were reportedly killed, including women and children'.

The UN agency said the raiders were thought to have crossed the border from Warrap State, in South Sudan, and attacked villages on the border between Koch and Mayendit counties in the Unity State.

A rapid assessment team visited the area on 14 September to verify the information and determine impacts of the attack.

The team met with local authorities who in addition to the deaths reported that 'some 13 people were injured and others missing. An unconfirmed number of people are also reported to have been displaced.'

An inter-agency mission to further assess the humanitarian situation is planned for next week.

Hundreds of people were killed last month when cattle raiders and vendetta groups attacked scores of villages in the unity state, sparking an international cry and a criticism for the government in Juba which then moved in to deploy troops to prevent further killings.

But despite the troops deploments, armed groups still managed to attack civilians in the area.

Pana 19/09/2011