At least two government officials were reported killed and several others injured in an ambush on a convoy by unknown gunmen along the Yei-Morobo road on Saturday evening.
A senior state government official who preferred anonymity told Radio Tamazuj that top government officials in the proposed Yei River State were ambushed while returning back from Koboko district of Uganda’s West Nile region.
He pointed out that the government team travelled to the Ugandan district to represent the state government at the International Youths Day attended by President Yoweri Museveni. According to the official, the incident took place in Panapa village of Gulumbi Payam between Yei and Morobo Counties.
He further said private secretary of the education minister was shot dead on the spot and that the office manager of the Yei town mayor Sallah Jeremiah succumbed to his wounds later in the hospital.
The same official revealed that State Advisor on Political Affairs, Jackson Abugo Gama, Morobo County Commissioner, Jacob Toti, Education Minister, Mary Apayi Ayiga, and several others including their bodyguards sustained serious injuries. The wounded were taken to the Yei Civil Hospital for treatment.
Clashes in Gulumbi area
Separately, heavy fighting erupted in Gulumbi payam shortly after the government delegation left the area, according to several local residents.
A local resident called Peter told Radio Tamazuj that clashes erupted at 6:20 pm and continued for an hour, saying citizens fled to the bush in fear.
Shooting in Yei town
Meanwhile, citizens in Yei town reported random gun shots around 9:30 pm in the area on Saturday, causing fear and panic among the locals. Reportedly, some residents fled the town for their safety.
“After this heavy rain, there are sounds of gun shots all over, and we don’t know what is happening at the moment” one of local residents said . “I and my family are under the bed taking cover from the bullets. The situation is not all that fine “he added.
Radio Tamazuj couldn’t reach government officials in the area to comment on the matter.