BREAKING | SSPDF’s deputy intelligence chief in E. Equatoria killed during clash with cattle raiders

JUBA — The deputy chief of intelligence for South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Eastern Equatoria State has this evening been killed by suspected Murle cattle raiders, sources close to the governor tell Sudans Post.

One source said Major John Khamis was killed on Thursday evening when a group of SSPDF troops were ordered to follow cattle raiders to recover Bor community cattle stolen by the suspected Murle raiders.

Sources said the incident occurred at 4:00PM local time at a check point along the Juba-Torit highway.

One senior government official close to Governor Louis Lobong said the cattle which were stolen by the suspected Murle raiders were recovered, but the raiders killed several troops including Major John Khamis.

“The military in Torit recovered the stolen cattle, but state Deputy Director of Military Intelligence of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces was killed by the Murle raiders,” the senior government official who refused not to be named told Sudans Post from the capital Torit without indicating the number of troops killed with him.

“There were instructions from the central and state governments that the army go after these raiders and as a result, they went in big numbers and also suffered a lot of casualties,” he added.

When contacted by Sudans Post, the executive director of the Community Empowerment and Progress Organisation (CEPO) Edmund Yakani said the government needs intervention to prevent further deaths among the civil population.

“These recent increase in armed deadly violence requires   Concrete intervention from the government. The deadly violence associated with cattle is getting worse everyday across the pastoralists communities,” he told Sudans Post this evening.

“It is clear now that the government need to establish violent conflict prevention measures across the country. CEPO is urging the national Legislature to urgent call for deliberations on prevention of deadly communal violence,” Yakani added.

Yakani further pointed out that “the trend of violence associated the cattle is breaking the country apart and May the communities fight each other more deadly than the past experiences.”