“We can’t access it at all”. One female patient, who had been shot four times, said her three-year-old son was shot in the dead.
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“We are cooperating and we hope our cooperation through the relevant security organs we will be able to monitor our border jointly so that to minimize such unfortunate incidents from happening again”, Gbandi said.
Ethiopia began two days of mourning on Wednesday to honor victims of the Friday attack.
In response to the attack, Ethiopian government soldiers have reportedly chased the attackers and killed 60 Murlie perpetrators.
On Wednesday, the European Union said it is in touch with South Sudanese authorities to ensure the immediate return of the abducted children to their families and that those responsible for the attacks are held accountable. The Murle, like many groups in South Sudan, are usually armed with light weapons like AK-47 assault rifles. Many survivors and witnesses to the attack told Al Jazeera that the men had Murle tribal markings.
“We, the Gaatjaak community in South Sudan, based in Juba have learned with shock and profound sadness the barbaric killing by the Murle armed youth of more than 200 of unarmed innocent Gatjaak civilians in Ethiopia and the abduction of over 100 children in the Ethiopian territory of Gambella region on 15 April”, partly read the statement. Previous attacks, however, were much smaller in scale.
The area where the children are being held “is full of jungle”, AP quotes Mr Bashir as saying.
The targets of the raid were members of the Nuer ethnic group who live in both South Sudan and Ethiopia, the AFP news agency reports.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said on Monday that his government was working with the government in South Sudan to hunt down the attackers.
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Under pressure from neighboring states, the United States, the United Nations and other powers, South Sudan’s feuding sides signed an initial peace deal in August and agreed to share out ministerial positions in January.
