A senior police official has been killed during an attack on the town of Torit in Eastern Equatoria state, South Sudan, which the state governor has blamed on the opposition group SPLA-IO.
Captain Cyprian Oromo, the deputy police chief inspector for Torit County, was shot dead on Tuesday morning after assailants opened fire on the county commissioner’s vehicle.
Governor Louis Lobong said the SPLA-IO had launched “coordinated military raids” on the town, also targeting a military hospital.
The SPLA-IO has not yet commented.
The incident has caused panic among residents, with many fleeing their homes and local markets forced to close.
Speaking to reporters from his office in Torit while wearing military attire, Governor Lobong described the attack as a “declaration of war”.
He stated that at approximately 5 am, one group of SPLA-IO forces launched an armed raid on the Torit military hospital. Simultaneously, he said, another group advanced from the direction of the Enyief area and opened fire on the official vehicle of the Torit County Commissioner, resulting in the death of Captain Oromo.
Governor Lobong connected the attack to a pattern of recent violence in the region, accusing the SPLA-IO of being behind multiple road ambushes and a previous raid on a security office in Kapoeta.
“Despite persistent provocations, the government of Eastern Equatoria state has consistently advocated for peaceful coexistence,” Governor Lobong said. “However, these latest assaults amount to a declaration of war against the government and the peace-loving people of Eastern Equatoria State.”
He urged citizens to remain vigilant and instructed government forces to “take the necessary measures to defend the people and properties”.
Residents ‘in panic’
The sound of gunfire caused alarm across Torit.
Morish Abalu, a resident, expressed his shock and called for an investigation. “The rampant shooting of guns around Torit town… has really caused the general public to be in panic,” he said. “I called upon the government… to intervene and the shooting of guns should be investigated.”
Ochen Wilfred, who fled his home in the Enyief area, described the attack as surprising and disruptive. “Now see at the market, the market is closed, food stores are closed and nowhere to find anything to eat,” he said, appealing for warring parties to stay away from civilians.
Civil society sounds alarm
Civil society groups condemned the violence, characterising it as a dangerous escalation.
Wodcan Saviour Lazarus of the Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO) described the attack as a “planned and targeted” act that signalled rising insecurity.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), strongly condemned the “use of military solutions for resolving political crisis”.
He warned that the country is currently witnessing a return to “full-scale military war” and called for international human rights bodies to track “grave mistakes that constitute crimes against humanity”.