Two humanitarian workers have been shot dead, and one teacher injured in a road ambush in Ikotos County of Eastern Equatoria State on Monday, a local official and an eyewitness said.

Henry Loro Wash Program Manager for Caritas Luxemburg based in Ikotos and Lofus water hygiene promoter identified as Oromo met their death while serving the vulnerable Ikotos communities.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, Ikotos County Commissioner Joseph Loholong, said: “The humanitarians went to Hafialari up to Lofus and when they were coming back after they bypassed Longole, they fell in an ambush. One of the teachers from Lohila got injured on the right side of the leg, then the project manager for WASH got killed, and one of the Lofus water hygiene promoters called Oroma was killed.”

Mrs Queen Achan, an eyewitness who survived the ambush, said they were shot by armed youth. Achan called for the deployment of government forces in hotspot areas to save the lives of citizens.

“We are the ones who fell in the ambush. The incident happened at around 6:00 pm. We came from Tseretenya towards Ikotos, and we met gunmen who started intimidating the vehicles and immediately started shooting,” Achan said.

Meanwhile, Peter Lokeng Lotone, the Eastern Equatoria State minister of local government, said a security committee had been sent to the ground to investigate the incident.

“Security-wise when such things are happening because of retaliation because if things happen in every side is because nothing can come out of the blue,” he said.