The South Sudan NGO Forum on Tuesday said it is deeply saddened by the killing of an aid worker in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in the course of his duties.

According to a statement by Acting Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney last week, the 6 November attack happened when a South Sudanese national aid worker contracted by an international non-governmental organization was killed in GPAA. The name of the deceased, a nutrition officer, however not released.

The NGO Forum said it stood in solidarity with the affected international non-governmental organization and the family of the deceased at this tragic moment.

“We strongly condemn this act of targeted killing of a humanitarian worker and appeal to the relevant government organs at all levels to investigate and hold accountable the perpetrators of this brutal act,” the statement said. “The occurrence of such an incident jeopardizes the delivery of critical life-saving assistance to the people of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.”

“The killing of a South Sudanese national on Monday, 06 November 2023, working for an international non-governmental organization, while on a field trip to respond to a suspected measles outbreak, is a bitter reminder of the insecurity facing humanitarian workers delivering aid in South Sudan,” it added.

The Forum called upon GPAA and national authorities for a robust, thorough, and expedited investigation into the killing.

“Perpetrators must be held accountable,” the statement concluded.