A woman was killed and 12 others wounded when a hand grenade detonated in Malakal town of Upper Nile State on Sunday, police said.
State Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Chol Atem told Radio Tamazuj this morning the unidentified person lobbed the hand grenade at men and women participating in a social gathering at Hai Malakia at around 7:30 pm.
According to the police, the injured were transferred to a hospital in Malakal for treatment. The assailant fled without being arrested.
“We believe that the person who lobbed the bomb was among the people who gathered, but he has not yet been arrested,” Chol explained.
The senior police officer said investigations into the incident are underway. “Those who sustained minor injuries were discharged from the hospital. I can assure the citizens that the security situation is calm,” he said.
Malakal is the second-largest city in South Sudan. For years, it has been largely deserted as civilians fled the civil war that broke out in December 2013. But some are returning home to rebuild their lives after the formation of the unity government in February 2020.
In August 2022, an unidentified assailant lobbed a hand grenade at a hotel in Malakal town, but no one was hurt.