CUEIBET – A South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) soldier shot dead two civilians in Cueibet County, Lakes State, over what a government official described as false allegations, sparking a revenge attack by armed youth that left another soldier dead, officials said.
Lakes State’s Acting Minister of Information and Communications William Koji Kerjok said the incident occurred on Thursday night.
Koji said one of the SSPDF officers phoned his colleagues to falsely claim that armed youths had surrounded him and that he urgently needed help.
The organized forces then rushed to the scene and the situation escalated into an exchange of fire with the armed youths, killing two of the youths.
When the SSPDF soldiers returned to their base, around 40 angry youths launched a revenge attack, killing one soldier.
He said that guy who called for a rescue is a major in the SSPDF and his house being surrounded according to him.
“”Those armed youth were there and and the guy felt suspicious and called for rescue,” Koji narrated.
“Now, when members of organized forces were going to the base as a response to the call, they met those armed youth and they were over 40 armed and they clashed resulting into that incident where 2 members of the armed youth were killed and later, they also went and attacked the base, and one soldier was also killed.”
The acting information minister said a man hosting the armed youths has been arrested and will be investigated for stationing armed youths near his residence.
He said the situation has been contained and the security agents will continue to patrol Cueibet town to mitigate any further clashes.
“What triggered this situation will also be investigated. Why are they in the town. Why are they stationed in the house since the owner of the house was also arrested. So the investigation will continue from there. But as we are speaking, the town is calmed now.”
Further, Koji said the state is peaceful, except for the Cueibet incident and another cattle raiding incident in Yirol East, north of Lakes, where a cattle owner was killed.
He said raiders allegedly from Panyijiar County took some cattle from Yirol East but security forces pursued them and recovered the cattle. Koji did not disclose the date of the incident.
