A motorcyclist was on Thursday shot dead and two other riders were injured and their motorcycle robbed by gunmen who ambushed them in Idolu village along the Torit-Hiyala- Kapoeta highway in Eastern Equatoria State.
According to local authorities, the attack follows cyclic violence between the Hiyala and Hoforiere communities who have been laying counter ambushes targeting each other along the highway.
Last week, the communities of Hiyala Payam met to de-escalate tensions following persistent revenge killings and ambushes but the meeting ended abruptly in chaos and random shooting.
Galileo Ohide, the paramount chief of Hiyala Payam, told Radio Tamazuj Friday that the youths from the neighboring communities of Hiyala and Haforiere are responsible for the unrest.
“One person from Lalanga was killed along the road between Idolu and Haforiere in a place called Kasara Benzin while he was riding a motorcycle and his motorcycle was taken,” he said. “This happened when the youth of Hiyala staged a roadblock between Tirangore and Hiyala and the people of Haforiere also set up a roadblock between Tirangore and Haforiere in Idolu.”
“At the roadblocks, the warring youths stop cars and motorcycles to check for people from the rival community,” Chief Ohide said.
Meanwhile, Jacob Atari Albano, the commissioner of Torit County, confirmed the incident and said they had tasked the local authorities in Haforiere to forcefully apprehend those behind the ambush.
“This (ambush) incident happened yesterday (Friday) at around 1 pm according to the report from those who were injured. They said they were coming from Lalanga to Torit and on reaching the Haforiere Junction, they met people who started shooting at them, killing one person instantly and injuring two others,” he said. “The injured identified as Okiki Omer and Wilson Kamau, are currently in Torit State Hospital for medication. Okong Patricio was shot dead.”
“I authorized the Monyio-miji of Haforiere to apprehend the criminals before the government takes action because the ambush happened in their territory and they are the prime suspects,” Commissioner Atari added.
A doctor at the Torit State Hospital, Changa Thomas Oker, said that one of the injured victims was recovering well but that the other was being referred to Juba Teaching Hospital for an X-ray.
“One was shot in the right hand his humerus is broken completely but he is stable and the other one was shot in the left hand and has tissue damage,” he explained. “Both of them are in good condition but we are only sending the one with a broken bone to Juba because we do not have an X-ray machine here in Torit.”