By Peter Kuol Kuch
The gang members have shot and killed one person and injured a few others during the weekend’s Champions League celebrations between PSG and Arsenal in Bor.
Following the weekend Champions League win celebrations between PSG and Arsenal among the different football fans in Bor, many crew members started to fire gunshots at random in the town, leading to the killing of one man and a few others being injured.
The young man killed during the gang gunfire is identified as being from the Aweil Community, residing in Bor.
In an inclusive interview with No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, Bor County Commissioner Samuel Ateny Pech condemned the criminal act that gang members are committing against community members.
“What happened was that the gangs that were exchanging gunfire, of course, during that celebration of Champions League, many young people were loitering that night. This is when they killed this person. Now, the security is dispatched and will do the operations soon in Bor,” Ateny said.
Hon. Ateny stated that the gang members tended to be hostile in the past few days, committing different atrocities against the residents in Bor at different residential blocks.
He emphasised that the government of Jonglei State has resolved to conduct a massive operation to apprehend and crack down on the gang members in Bor in the coming days.
“This is not a targeted killing; I have to make this clear. Even a week ago, there were reports that the same gang members also shot some residents who are even members of the Bor here. These people know nobody. But the security will deal with them soon,” he said.
According to several statements seen by this publication, the recent incident has triggered debate on social media from the communities in Aweil, condemning the incident that resulted in the killing of Aweil Son.
They called on the Jonglei State government to hold the culprits of the incident accountable and conduct proper investigations into the matter.
However, in a letter seen by this publication, the Bor County Youth Association also condemned the incident and urged the government to apprehend the gang members causing the lives of innocent residents in Bor.
Meanwhile, the Bor County Youth Association, in their press statement, dismissed the claims that the incident was a targeted killing, citing that the incident was caused by crew members.
They appealed to Aweil communities to be calm and allow the Jonglei State government to contain the security situation by deterring the gang members in order to ensure the safety of the residents in Bor.
Last week, authorities at the Bor Municipal Council ordered a ban on the carrying of authorised weapons and other sharp objects in Bor town. The order was tasked to be executed by the police and other organised forces in Bor.
Many efforts were made to contact the police and the Bor Municipal Council mayor, but all were not successful.