Rumbek North County Commissioner Abraham Maloth Marier was killed in an ambush in Lakes State last night, according to a longtime colleague of the official.

The source said the commissioner died in a road ambush with several officials. He did not identify who were responsible in the attack.

Local sources provided conflicting information, with those in the government keen to blame the incident on the armed rebels allied to former vice president Riek Machar, while others said the ambush stemmed from local political differences within Lakes State.  

Update: Information received from a second source, somebody close to the slain commissioner, indicates that the Rumbek North County Commissioner was killed while returning from Panyijar County in Unity State, where he and another state official had gone to congratulate government forces on the capture of Nyal, the county administrative headquarters. The commissioner, state official and six bodyguards were found dead. The source said the commissioner was not shot but managed to flee, but he later died from exhaustion while running away.