Kathmandu, June 14. At least 13 people were killed in a recent tribal clash that occured in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan’s Lakes State.

Spokesperson of the local police, Elijah Mabor Makuach announced that clashes between the armed ethnic groups broke out on Saturday morning in a restive region of Rumbek east county.

Local Media reports suggest that at least 16 people sustained serious injuries during the violence between Gony and Theyieth communities.

The authorities have deployed a heavy number of troops to separate the two tribes, having a decade long history of cattle raiding and revenge killings.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has also intensified peacekeeper patrols in the hotspots all over South Sudan.

Tribal Clashes in South Sudan

South Sudan houses at least 64 tribes, most of which consider cattle as the most valuable asset. Serious bloodshed can occur if a man disturbs cattle belonging to other identity groups.

With the beginning of the dry season, every year, seasonal migration of cattle starts to rise, which triggers conflicts between the groups. Many anthropologists define these armed conflicts as the most complex form of genocide seen in mankind. It is certainly impossible for an outsider to fully understand the dynamics of the violent clashes that occur at different levels.

Last week, 36 people were reported dead and 32 others sustained injuries during the violence between Falata and Al-Taisha tribes that occurred in Mandawa, Marmasa and Majangary areas of South Darfur State.