At least five people, including a pregnant woman and two boys, were killed, and one person is missing after they were ambushed in the Camp 15 area in Eastern Equatoria State’s BUDI County last week.
Sources said the incident occurred when unidentified assailants indiscriminately opened fire on a group of men and women who were going to mine gold, killing five people on the spot. One person is missing to date.
According to local authorities, the footprints of the attackers, when tracked, led to the Logir territory in Kideopo Valley.
Lawrence Pio, a youth leader in Camp 15, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the incident occurred in the Jebel Anyanya 1 area of Camp 15 early last Thursday morning.
“These people left the town early in the morning for the mining site. The road is bushy and they got ambushed by attackers who started shooting and miners scattered into the bush,” he explained. “Three women, including a pregnant woman, and two boys were killed, and there is a lady who is missing till now. The footstep of the attackers was followed, and they went towards the area inhabited by the Logir Community.”
“The attackers just wanted to kill people and were not rustling cattle,” Pio added.
For his part, Ikotos County Commissioner Timon Loboi Lolori rubbished the allegation that the attackers were from his jurisdiction but pledged to contact grassroots authorities over the matter. He said criminals do not inform local authorities about their activities.
“I did not get the information from the concerned authorities, like the boma chiefs on the ground. I will try to call the people on the ground because Kideopo is very wide and the boma chief has to be consulted,” he said. “You also know that criminals do not inform about their plans or what they have done.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kilang, the interim chairperson of Eastern Equatoria State Civil Society Network, condemned the attack and urged security forces to protect the people, and called on the government to bring the perpetrators to book.
“It is very unfortunate for us to hear this bad news, and up to now we have not heard any comment from the government,” he said.
Efforts to contact BUDI County authorities for comment were futile.