State officials say they have lost contact with the Deputy Governor of Lol State Sumeiya Adut after they fled the town leaving her behind during an attack by an unknown armed group this morning.
“The attack came from different sides including on the military area from the southern side and from the western side of the governor’s house,” Raja Mayor James Benjamin told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon. “We withdrew from the city.”
Speaking by phone from an area outside of Raja, the mayor said he and other officials stopped by Sumeiya’s house as they were fleeing the town by foot this morning. He recounted that he saw some members of the deputy governor’s entourage were already wounded at the time she was last seen. They offered to take her with them but she said that she planned to go by car. The mayor’s group left her behind with some soldiers.
The flight of officials from Raja may mean that they town has been overrun.
James said he did not know how the governor had escaped the town because he lost contact with him from the morning. Other sources said, however, that he had arrived safely in Aweil West County.
The mayor pointed out, however, that some vehicles were ambushed and burnt as they attempted to leave the town.
Separately, family and friends of Sumeiya Adut said that they thought she was still trapped inside Raja and that the military would make efforts to rescue her.
Lol State is a recently established government created by decree of President Salva Kiir. Some tribal chiefs in the Raja area rejected the creation of the state, saying they did not want to be merged with two counties of the former Northern Bahr al Ghazal State from which the deputy governor hails.
Related:
Fighting breaks out in Raja town (15 June)