Kenyan engineer killed in South Sudan ambush
James Kagiri was driving to work in the company of another engineer at around 8:00 am when unknown gunmen attacked their vehicle along the Morobo-Kaya road.
A Kenyan civil engineer working in South Sudan is reported to have been killed in a deadly ambush while travelling to work early Thursday morning.
According to local media, James Kagiri was driving to work in the company of another engineer at around 8:00 am when unknown gunmen attacked their vehicle along the Morobo-Kaya road.
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Morobo County Commissioner Charles Data Bullen said government forces responded swiftly and during a brief exchange of fire, one of the attackers, identified as a known Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) fighter, was killed.
"Kagiri's body was recovered from the burning vehicle," the Commissioner is reported as saying.
The Eye Radio said the two men had been contracted by the Don Bosco Catholic Diocese of Morobo to carry out construction at the new St Charles Lwanga school.
"While no group has officially claimed responsibility, Bullen linked it to the presence of SPLA-IO elements in the region, whom he blamed for the wave of ambushes and violence against civilians," the radio added.
The SPLA-IO is both a political party and a militia group loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar and their respective allied armed groups.
The country has been in a civil war, triggered in 2013 by a power struggle and political fallout between President Salva Kiir and the former VP, and has persisted despite the signing of the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.
The deal aimed to unify rival forces, but disputes over power-sharing, ceasefire violations, and territorial control continue to strain relations between SPLA-IO and the South Sudanese People's Defence Forces (SSPDF).
The local church is yet to officially respond to the matter.
All travellers have since been advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity along major roads in the county, especially in volatile areas.
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