Authorities in Lobonok Payam of Juba County in Central Equatoria State say three people have been killed and an eight-year-old boy abducted by unidentified armed men.
The Chairperson for Lobonok Development and Cultural Association, Cirislo Lege Zakaria said the incident happened on 16th May 2022 during the occasion to mark the SPLA Day.
“People of Nyarjuwa village were attacked on 16th May at around 10 pm at night. They killed a 33-year-old pregnant woman with her 60-year-old mother. They also shot and killed her 3-year-old child,” Zakaria said during a press conference in Juba on Thursday.
Zakari claimed that the attack in Nyarjuwa Village of Lobonok County was carried out by suspected Bor armed raiders from Jonglei State.
“Those who are committing these atrocities are cattle keepers. They are the ones responsible for the killing of three people in Nyarjuwa,” he said.
He said the incident happened a few days after two people were shot and wounded by cattle raiders in Lobonok.
“We the people of Lobonok, don’t have any problem with anyone but people come and attack us. Two days ago, two people were shot but lucky enough, they have not died. They have been hospitalized,” he said.
He urged cattle keepers to leave Central Equatoria State and return to their areas of origin.
“We as the community of Lobonok, don’t want any cattle here. Any cattle that do not belong to the people of Lobonok must be taken away from Lobonok,” he said.
“We don’t want bloodshed in our home. We don’t want the killing of innocent people for no reason like what has just happened to repeat itself again,” Zakaria added.
He called on the national government to strengthen law enforcement, investigate these crimes, and bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice.
“We call on security agencies to speed up investigations to rescue the abducted boy and ensure justice is served to distressed people of Lobonok community,” he said.
