A chief from Barwichu village in Jur River County, Western Bahr el Ghazal (WBG) State, has been killed in a revenge attack that targeted mourners, the area county commissioner has revealed.

Nicola Thiep Wol told The City Review that unidentified gunmen shot randomly at the crowd when they stormed the funeral of their colleague.

The attacker killed chief Ayual Majok Ula and wounded one person.

Thiep said tension brewed when the assailants raped the wife of a certain man in the village, prompting the residents to clash with them. This resulted in two deaths on both sides, with one attacker wounded.

He stated that the unknown gunmen then pursued the civilians and found them at the funeral of their colleague and sprayed them with bullets on Saturday.

“Police forces have been deployed in the area to restore calm and to protect the civilians and their property. So, we have already opened a case with the police, but no one has been arrested, ” said Thiep.

He said the area, which is located in the northern part of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, has been witnessing an influx of unknown forces, allegedly belonging to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).

“We don’t have a cantonment site here, all the forces of the SPLA-IO have gone, but there are some forces who have been terrorising civilians in the area; looting food items and their animals.”

“Until one of the attackers is arrested, we cannot point a finger at a group now. People are yearning for peace and peace is being implemented. There is no reason that such an incident should happen when everyone is now in government, ” Thiep argued.

However, media reports last week accused the SPLA-IO forces under the command of Brigadier Philip Piel Ajak of attacking residents of the village, in which two people were reported killed. The accused SPLA-IO officer is reported to have died.