A man was killed by armed assailants in the vicinity of an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the Jonglei State capital, Bor, on Saturday, authorities said.
The camp’s chairperson, James Chakuen Gatluak, told Radio Tamazuj that the deceased, identified as Gatiet Ruot Gai, 18, was returning from a nearby bush where he had gone to relieve himself when he met his fate on Saturday night.
“On Saturday at 8 p.m., two men who had gone to the nearby bush to relieve themselves because latrines are lacking at our place were attacked,” he narrated. “18-year-old Gatiet was attacked and shot dead on the spot, and his companion escaped unhurt.”
The community leader condemned the attack as heinous and said the deceased was visiting his family after returning from Uganda, where he had been studying.
“The deceased just returned from Uganda, where he was studying,” Chakuen said. “We believe members of the host community were responsible for the killing, possibly in a targeted attack.”
On his part, Simon Hoth Duol, the state local government minister, also confirmed the attack and said a security force was deployed to restore calm.
“The incident occurred on Saturday night, and we deployed police to inspect the situation. Security of the IDP camp has been handed over to the government,” he explained. “What happened is that communities are taking the law into their hands. We don’t have adequate police because most of them are deployed at the frontline.”
“As we speak, investigations are ongoing to find the motive of the killing, whether it is a revenge killing or not,” Chakuen added.