14 killed, 7 injured in South Sudan attack

JUBA, South Sudan

At least 14 people have been killed and seven others injured in a deadly attack in Budi County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State, a local government official confirmed Monday.

Aliandro Lotok, State Governor’s press secretary, said unknown gunmen launched the attack on Camp 15 area at around 1 a.m. on Sunday while people were sleeping, killing 12 women and two children.

"The state government has condemned the incident in the strongest term possible. We would like to assure our citizens that the state authorities will investigate the attack,” Lotok told our reporter on the phone in Juba.

He added that the local authorities have not established the motive behind the attack, noting that a major hunt for the attackers is underway.

Lotok urged the local communities in the area to remain calm despite the deadly attack as the state authorities strive to restore normally in the area as the government probes the killings.

The latest attack comes a week after a group of gunmen attacked a cantonment site harboring opposition forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Kapoeta County, killing its commander and four others.