Violence broke out between competing groups of livestock herders in South Sudan on Friday, officials said AFP, leaving thirty-nine dead and scores injured.

Nineteen herders from northwest Warrap lost their lives in the fighting on Wednesday, according to the state's communications minister, William Wol Mayom Bol, who also said that 17 other individuals were hurt.

He added, "When we learned of the attack, the government of Warrap state dispatched two committees" to the area to lower tensions and protect civilians.

"20 people killed, 36 wounded, and one person is still missing," according to police spokesman Major Elijah Mabor Makuac, was the total number of casualties in neighboring Lake State.


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Makuac claimed that rival cow-herding communities from the two states battle for resources every dry season, turning the skirmishes into an annual event.

Minister Bol stated Thursday that " the violence has been de-escalated, but minor clashes are still being reported in inaccessible swampy areas. "

He requested "peaceful co-existence and co-operation between the two sisterly states."

Despite having significant oil deposits, South Sudan is among the world's poorest nations. It has seen frequent natural disasters, starvation, economic collapse, and inter-communal strife. It has also been at war for over half of its existence.

Fifty-four people were killed last weekend in violence between competing villages in a disputed area that is claimed by both South Sudan and Sudan, including two UN peacekeepers.