A Kenyan man who was working as a trader in Bor, South Sudan has lost his life after being ambushed by armed robbers.
According to reports, the 28-year-old was shot by the suspects and died on the spot. The robbers had ambushed the town on Monday night when the murder happened.
While speaking to South Sudanese media outlets, Major General Moses Machok Makuach, the acting police commissioner in Jonglei State, revealed that one of the suspects had been arrested in connection to the crime.
"After the incident, we dispatched our security forces and closed the Bor-Juba road and the roads with the town. One suspect was arrested along the Juba-Bor road," he stated.
The acting police commissioner added that the suspect had been taken to Bor and was being investigated to establish his involvement in the crime.
He assured foreigners in Bor and the locals of their safety adding that investigations were ongoing to arrest others involved in the robbery.
However, the acting police commissioner did not reveal the amount stolen by the robbers or property damaged.
The victim's body was moved to the local morgue for preservation and for an autopsy to be performed. His family was yet to be revealed or whether he had family in South Sudan.
Additionally, the police boss did not disclose whether the 28-year-old's body will be airlifted to Kenya for burial.
Crime rate in South Sudan has been on the rise with data from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) indicating that cases of violent incidents declined by 27 per cent to 714 in 2022 to 982 in 2021 annually.
According to the 2023 report, some of the major crimes recorded were killing, injury, abduction and conflict-related sexual violence. Some of the crimes were attributed to community-based militias and civil defence groups.
"UNMISS calls on the Government of South Sudan to demonstrate political will and step up efforts against impunity, investigate human rights violations and abuses and hold perpetrators accountable, particularly as deadly violence remains an issue of grave concern in parts of the country,” Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS remarked.
