By Yang Ater Yang
A nutrition health worker has been killed in an alleged road ambush while travelling from Rumbek North County to Rumbek; authorities in Lakes State have confirmed.
The incident reportedly occurred in Amok Village along the road connecting Rumbek North County and Rumbek, as the health worker was travelling on a motorcycle to the state headquarters.
John Bilu Awuol, Commissioner of Rumbek North County, said the identity of the attackers remains unknown, and it is not yet clear whether they came from within Lakes State or neighbouring states.
He said security authorities had been informed about the killing and that investigations were underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those responsible.
“They are not identified who killed these medical personnel on the way,” Bilu said.
The commissioner urged residents to remain calm and avoid taking retaliatory action against individuals or communities before the attackers are identified.
He said people should allow security authorities to conduct investigations and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
“People have to be patient, and the matter will be followed by law until we get the full information from that incident that happened on the way,” he said.
Bilu cautioned against blaming the killing on communities in Lakes State or neighbouring states without evidence.
“No one can attack anyone without evidence that the nurse was killed by our community living within Lakes State here or other neighbouring states. People must calm down and wait for investigation,” he said.
He also appealed to the victim’s relatives to remain patient, saying a clearer account of the incident would emerge once authorities communicated with neighbouring states and communities as part of the investigation.
The killing has sparked concern among civil society actors, who have called on the government to investigate the incident and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Daniel Laat Kon, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) coordinator in Lakes State, described the incident as unfortunate and said the killing of a health worker was particularly concerning because of the services provided to communities.
“We have learned about a very unfortunate incident whereby a health worker was ambushed and killed along Rumbek North Road,” Laat Kon said.
He called on the government to take the incident seriously and ensure that those responsible are identified and brought before the law.
“If intellectuals are killed, and more especially if health practitioners are killed while they are serving the lives of everyone, this is something that the government has to take very seriously and hold the perpetrators accountable,” he said.
Laat Kon said bringing the perpetrators to justice would demonstrate the government’s commitment to protecting civilians and enforcing the rule of law.
“It is when you hunt down the perpetrator. This is where the law will take its course, and people will know that the government is serious about this,” he said.
He expressed solidarity with the victim’s family and called on community members to remain calm while government authorities investigate the killing.
The incident comes amid continued security concerns along some roads in Lakes State, where travellers and communities have previously faced attacks and insecurity.
Authorities have not yet identified any suspects or established a motive for the killing. Investigations are expected to determine who carried out the attack and whether the perpetrators came from within Lakes State or from a neighbouring area.