Eastern Equatoria State authorities on Thursday confirmed the killing of Kapoeta East County Commissioner Stephen Lowosio Lomongin, who they said was ambushed while on an official visit to the disputed area of Kasengor, a territory claimed by both Eastern Equatoria State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
Lowosio was appointed commissioner of Kapoeta East County in May 2025 under South Sudan’s power-sharing arrangement on the ticket of the SPLM-IO faction led by National Minister of Peacebuilding Stephen Par Kuol.
The incident marks a sharp escalation in tensions over the ownership and administration of Kasengor, an area claimed by both administrations.
The killing comes less than a week after GPAA Chief Administrator Gola Boyoi and Deputy Minister of Information, Telecommunications and Postal Services David Yau Yau visited Kasengor and told residents the area belonged to Boma County under GPAA administration.
The visit drew strong objections from Eastern Equatoria authorities, who described it as an unauthorized incursion into territory they regard as part of the state.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State Information Minister Elia John Ahaji said Lowosio was attacked while carrying out official duties in Kasengor.
“The Government of Eastern Equatoria would like to inform the people of South Sudan about the killing of Kapoeta East County Commissioner, the late Hon. Stephen Lowosio Lomongin,” Ahaji said.
Ahaji alleged that the commissioner was “waylaid and ambushed by armed militias” influenced by GPAA Chief Administrator Gola Boyoi and Deputy Minister David Yau Yau.
According to Ahaji, the killing occurred after the two officials visited Kasengor without authorization from the Eastern Equatoria State government.
He accused actors within the GPAA of fueling instability in the area and called on the national government to launch an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the commissioner’s death.
“Eastern Equatoria State condemns in the strongest terms possible this barbaric and uncivilized behavior, which has resulted in the loss of life of a very young and energetic son of our great state,” Ahaji said.
He urged residents of Kapoeta East County and the wider Eastern Equatoria region to remain calm and allow authorities to investigate the incident.
“The commissioner was killed in Kessengor Boma of Kapoeta East County while he was on official tour to his area of jurisdiction,” Ahaji said. “There was no fighting when he was killed and his body is still there up to now for the national government to investigate.”
Ahaji said state authorities were unaware of any clashes in the area at the time of the incident.
“Kessengor is deep inside Eastern Equatoria State. We do not know why the commissioner was killed. We are not aware of any clashes. Our commissioner was ambushed and killed by criminals influenced by the government of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area,” he said.
The Greater Pibor Administrative Area rejected the allegations.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, GPAA Information Minister Jacob Werchum Juok said preliminary reports indicated that heavily armed groups from Eastern Equatoria entered Kasengor early on Thursday and launched an attack.
According to Juok, fighting broke out between the attackers and local youth and security personnel stationed in the area.
“If the commissioner was indeed among the attackers, then he was killed during the crossfire,” Juok said.
He said the violence occurred after armed men from Eastern Equatoria entered Kasengor, triggering clashes that displaced civilians and prompted local forces to respond.
Juok further alleged that the attackers were heavily armed and wearing military uniforms, maintaining that the commissioner may have been leading the group involved in the confrontation.
Radio Tamazuj could not independently verify either side’s account of the events.
Former Kapoeta East County Commissioner Abdalla Angelo Lokeno expressed sadness over the killing and questioned the decision to send a senior government official to an area where tensions had been rising.
“There has been tension in the area. Instead of raising the concern with the national government for a committee to be instituted into the dispute, the governor sent a very senior official. This is very unfortunate,” Lokeno said.
Civil society leaders also expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation and renewed calls for dialogue to resolve the long-running territorial dispute.
Juma Tikol, secretary-general of the Civil Society Network in Eastern Equatoria State, condemned the killing and urged the national government to intervene.
“As civil society, we condemn this act in the strongest terms possible. This kind of cowardly killing of leaders is unacceptable,” Tikol said.
He said Lowosio had travelled to Kasengor to engage local communities and discuss ways of addressing the dispute peacefully.
Tikol called on the national government to facilitate dialogue between the parties and work toward a lasting resolution of the boundary dispute.
“We raise this issue to the national government to address it amicably so that the boundaries can be clearly defined and peace restored,” he said.
Kasengor has long been a source of dispute between Eastern Equatoria State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, with both administrations claiming authority over the territory.
and then