By Ijoo Bosco
Authorities in Lafon County have recovered a 23-year-old man who escaped an attack on him and his colleagues along the Lafon-Mogiri road leading to Juba.
Lafon Central Chief Augustine Lijuok Olum confirmed the incident, stating that the missing traders had been found alive, although the escaped victim was “desperately weak” as he struggled to recover from the ordeal.
“We are very much grateful to God for saving our son who escaped into the bush during the weekend attack,” said Olum.
“He is with us now, attending to his medical needs with his family. He was found on Tuesday morning by some traders whose cattle were also abducted.”
Olum lamented that the authorities are yet to launch an investigation into the incident, in order to trace the perpetrators of the attack and the ongoing violence against the people of Lafon County along the Mogiri-Juba Road.
Eastern Equatoria State lawmaker Faisal Likale Olum, an MP appointed on the SPLM-IO ticket, condemned the attack, stating that the incident where gunmen opened fire and wounded the traders was “uncalled for.”
The three fish traders were ambushed around 8 PM as they travelled from Lafon to Juba through the Mogiri road.
Olum blamed the recent wave of attacks in the region on the peace parties’ failure to implement the security arrangements outlined in the 2018 peace deal.
“Several innocent civilians have lost their lives on this same road as they struggle to earn a living, despite the worsening economic situation in the country,” Olum said.
James Otong, the acting executive director of Lafon County, said the road through Lafon to Mogiri was risky due to the lack of security along the route.
He noted that this was not the first time people had been attacked on the road.
Authorities have pledged to beef up security on the road to save more lives.