Tensions remain high in Cueibet County, Lakes State, after a local youth leader was killed in what appears to be a revenge attack.
The incident occurred in Cueibet town on Thursday. Local authorities identified the victim as Makol Bol Agok from the Pagor community in Mayath Payam.
Officials believe he was killed by a man from the neighbouring Pancinyiny community, in retaliation for the killing of a Pancinyiny chief several months ago.
William Koji Kirjok, the acting minister of information for Lakes State, confirmed the death and described it as a “revenge killing”.
Minister Kirjok told Radio Tamazuj on Friday that security forces had been deployed and had “managed to control the situation from escalating”.
“The man was confirmed to have been killed for revenge,” Kirjok said, adding that the suspected assailant was still at large but would be “brought to book”.
The minister suggested the alleged attacker had undertaken a “suicide mission”, knowingly acting outside the law. “The government is in place and the laws are there,” he stated.
However, a member of parliament questioned the authorities’ ability to control the situation.
Abraham Manyot Magar, an SPLM-IO MP representing Cueibet County, said the killing took place near government offices in the county headquarters.
He told Radio Tamazuj that the victim was an influential “Gelweng” leader, responsible for youths in the Pagor section.
“The government that operates within the county is not in a position to subdue the situation and to protect the people,” Magar claimed.
He said the tension between the two communities was “still very high” and warned that further violence could erupt.
The MP also criticised the state governor, Rin Tueny Mabor, for being inactive on the issue and focusing on national politics instead.
“Cueibet county is part of Lakes State and if seven counties are peaceful and Cueibet is not peaceful, then the peace that’s prevailing in other counties will actually be nothing,” Magar said.
Authorities have urged calm and say an investigation is underway.
Revenge killings are a deep-seated challenge in most parts of South Sudan, often driven by competition over resources, historical grievances, and weak state authority. Traditional practices that mandate retribution for a killing can override formal legal systems, creating self-perpetuating cycles of violence that local authorities struggle to contain.