By Emelda Siama John
Five security officials were wounded in a gunfire exchange between security personnel and suspected criminals affiliated with SPLM-IO on Friday in Kapoeta South County, Eastern Equatoria State. According to reports, in the early morning of September 25, 2025, a group of criminals linked to SPLM-IO attacked the National Security Office in Kapoeta. They shot at the building before fleeing across the Singaita River into a distant area. During their escape, they also fired toward the military base in Kapoeta.
In a public statement issued on Friday, Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong Lojere explained that around 5:00 to 6:00 am, security forces attempted to track the fleeing criminals by following their footprints. However, they fell into an ambush at Singaita River.
“These people often fire at them because they were in the bush and this wall around the highway, they managed to shoot and wounded about five officers. Some of these officers are in a critical condition and they have been attended in Kapoeta Hospital. We later got to know these people who they are and we have known them. There are around nine in number. Between six to nine and they are on run and we will continue to pursue them and follow them and bring them to book. This shooting created panic in the town of Kapweta and there are people who have sent different messages across the states and the nation. So the truth is that this criminal associated with the I.O are the ones who carried the raid and the shooting in the town of Kapoeta.” He said.
The governor also mentioned that two days prior, children were abducted from Immehejek administrative area in Lopit County, with the footmarks leading toward Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
“At the same time, there was also an ambush on the way to Juba where our deployment partners were looted and our security forces followed criminals and rebels exchange fire with our security forces and they left their belongings, including the rifles of one of the drivers who was killed three days ago on the same way from the prison’s orders. And these people were also identified by their belongings to be our brothers from the Murle. And this group has been roaming around abducting children, looking for cattle and looting. I would like to send condolences to those who have got wounded or their things have been looted and their children have been abducted. I would like also to inform our neighbours from Greater Pibor that there is a need to educate our youth to abandon these criminal activities of abductings and highway robbery in a different administrative areas. If they want to carry highway robbery, they should do it in their own territory. They should not corrupt the other states.” he added.
Governor Lobong extended condolences to those wounded or affected by looting and abduction.
We have not yet received any confirmation from Greater Pibor. Once information becomes available, we will share it with you promptly