Two South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers were killed while engaged in artisanal gold mining in Raat, a border town in Pochalla South County in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), police said.
Col. Amati Ochan, the county police inspector, told Radio Tamazuj the soldiers left their barracks to mine gold and were attacked outside the military compound on Saturday.
“While in the field, they were attacked and killed, and their two guns were taken,” Ochan said.
He said local youths pursued the attackers but failed to locate them.
“We, as the police, do not have a presence in the area because it is remote. However, according to information from local residents and the army, the attackers were suspected to be armed Murle criminals,” Ochan said.
Jacob Werchum Jouk, the GPAA information minister, said he had not yet received a report on the incident when contacted by Radio Tamazuj.
Raat, a gold-rich town near the Ethiopian border, has experienced several episodes of violence in recent months. The latest involved clashes between a local youth group and SSPDF soldiers that left three people dead.
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