Central Equatoria State Governor Gen. Augustino Jadalla on Friday visited Wonduruba Administrative Payam to commiserate with the people and the families of the youth who were killed by gunmen in military uniform last week.
On 9 October, armed men raided a village Wonduruba Administrative Payam in the deep of the night, removed people from their houses, and shot and gruesomely hacked ten civilians to death, local authorities and a clergyman reported at the time. The attack, which also left four others with machete wounds, occurred shortly after a visit by Governor Gen. Augustino Jadalla Kamilo to the area.
According to the Governor’s Press Unit, Jadalla, at the helm of a delegation comprising state advisors, parliamentarians, and state ministers among other officials branched to Wonduruba on Friday on his way back to Juba after setting off from Yei.
Governor Jadalla, while addressing the locals, condemned the inhumane killing of innocent civilians and promised that his administration and relevant security organs would investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
“We, especially those who came here, are very sorry. Our presence here is to pay our condolences to you and strengthen your hearts,” he said. “When we came here on 8 October, we sought peace, to see your living conditions and hear from you. But to our dismay, when we left for Yei on 10 October, we heard of this tragedy.”
The governor announced that a committee would be formed to investigate the killings and encouraged the locals to cooperate with the team by providing necessary information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
“I want to encourage you, the people of Wonduruba, not to leave your place. This is your place, and we, as the government, will do all we can to protect you,” Jadalla stated.
For his part, Lt. Gen. Wisely Welebe, the SSPDF Assistant Chief of Defense Force for Logistics, expressed sympathy and solidarity with the people of Wonduruba. He assured them of the army’s commitment to expediting the investigation and arrests of those involved in the killings.
“Our mandate as SSPDF is to protect people and their property,” he said.
Meanwhile, Noel Laila, the Paramount Chief of Wonduruba, thanked the governor for visiting the area and appealed to the government to address the insecurity in the area.
“We want those people who killed our children to be arrested. These people want peace and nothing much but such killings scare them away,” Chief Laila said.
The Government of Central Equatoria State also condemned a similar attack on people at Kuli Papa, Ganji Village, in Juba County and promised that the killers would also be apprehended and held accountable.