The Lakes region is currently under a mandatory disarmament exercise, but armed civilian attacks have persisted.

Eight people have reportedly been killed in a revenge related attack in Cueibet County of Lakes State on Friday.

The incident was allegedly intensified by the killing of a woman on Thursday night in the Agang-rial area, on the outskirts of Cueibet town.

The Secretary-General of the defunct Gok State, Santino Ater Amon said the incident led to full-scale fighting between the Pagoor section and Ayuel sections.

“It was someone who went to steal goats unfortunately he shot the woman and killed her. In the morning, then it erupted into full-scale fighting,” Ater told Eye Radio on Friday.

“So the thing turned out to be a cycle of revenge killing that led to the death of five women and three men.”

Mr. Ater stated that because of floods in the area, security forces were not immediately deployed in the area since the road to Agang-rial is inaccessible.

“We had the plan to send in forces but due to inaccessibility that is why those forces did not move in. But we are looking for other alternatives for the forces to go, they can even move in on foot,” Ater added.

Lakes State has experienced endless waves of communal violence, mainly fueled by revenge attacks, cattle raiding, and land grabbing.

According to the UN mission in South Sudan, revenge attacks and cattle-related killings remain the biggest insecurity challenges after political violence subsided in the country following the signing of the revitalized peace agreement.