Day One Hundred & One - Rustling

For many people, cattle raiding or cattle rustling, is a crime that only happens in old movies, however, here in South Sudan for the cattle keepers and pastoralists it is a reality. It is a deadly business of groups of rustlers forcefully taking peoples cattle usually with automatic weapons and with high numbers of casualities. The act of cattle raiding has been seen as being part of the culture preventing action being taken in order to stop raids. Many people are constantly on the move which means there is no settling down for kids to go to schools. Catlle are a main source of income for Sudanese people. The main causes of cattle rustling are cultural, for dowries, lack of education, harsh climate conditions and a lack of opportunities for employment.

On September 16th there was an article about cattle rusting in Unity State. There was a raid in Mayiandit county that killed 46, displaced over 5,000 and resulted in an estimated 100,000 cattle being stolen. The people who were displaced are now being forced to sleep under trees because they have no where else to go. This is from the article. It is a story of a man who makes his living as a cattle rustler...

Gatreh Lul Deng wonders whether peace is sustainable. He has helped raid thousands of cattle since he was 12 — and killed 15 men along the way. At age 30, he sees cattle raiding as his job.

"How can we live? It's the only way to get married, the only way to survive." Deng says he stopped raiding cattle after the army took his guns. Then, his income plunged. He couldn't get a job making bricks. And, he says, the government won't let him grow as much corn as he needs because of an ongoing land survey.

"If you don't want me to raid cows or to plant, then give me a job. I need a job," he says.

This is just one of the many stories of how people are affected by cattle rustling. According to the United Nations, in 2009 approximately 2,500 people died in tribal violence in Sudan's southern region, much of it from cattle raids.

I have spoken with various people in my work here, and even men travelling to cattle camps in their area fear being raided, not only cattle keepers. They only travel with 5-10 cattle. Every time they go out to the cattle camps to purchase cows to sell in the markets, they are putting their life on the line. It is a dangerous business.