SSPDF soldier shot dead in Torit County

A South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) officer was shot dead on Monday by an unknown assailant.

The soldier, who was based in Kudo Payam of Torit County, was allegedly cutting trees in a local forest when the attacker pulled the trigger on him, local authorities said.

Samuel Jospeh Dafuri, the executive officer of Kudo Payam, confirmed the incident, saying the slain officer was assigned to the Payam.

“He is a captain and the head of the soldiers here in Kudo. He was shot dead in the place of charcoal, and immediately we sent people to the scene, and they found the foot marks of those who shot him,” he explained.

Samuel said the deceased did not have a problem with anyone in the area, saying he was surviving on his charcoal business to feed his family.

“He used to go to the forest without a gun because he knew the place was good.”

He said the local people are ready to follow the case and called on those with information that might lead to the arrest of the suspects to come forward.

“The local people are on the ground tracing his killers. I need the community to come up with the name of the exact person who killed that man,” he said.

However, Dominic Joseph, the Boma chief of Lowoi north they are yet to get any leads on the suspected killers.

 “No, we didn’t receive any information regarding that because we are here in Lowoi center. I will try to investigate whether there are youth who might have crossed the other side and sometimes the youth don’t inform people when they are going out,” he said.