Soldier goes berserk, kills two colleagues

A soldier from the South Sudan People Forces (SSPDF) opened fire on his colleagues at Lui barracks in Mundri County, Western Equatoria State, killing a couple of people and wounding four others before being shot dead.

Margret Fozia Emmanuel, Mundri East County Commissioner, confirmed the incident to The City Review yesterday.

“What happened was a soldier called Ali Abui shot two soldiers, two women, and a 7-year-old boy. Three died, including him,” she said.

“Two other women, a soldier and a 7-year-old boy are currently in the Lui hospital, “said the Mundri East County commissioner.

Fozia said the women who were injured are wives of the soldiers living in the barracks, including the seven-year-old boy who is also a child of a soldier.

However, she said the motive for the killings remains unclear as the suspect was also gunned down by a colleague.

She said the investigation into the incident was going on.

On Wednesday evening, a family member of the late woman, who identified herself as Emma, told The City Review that they received the sad news of their daughter’s death after hearing gunshots at the barracks at 6 pm.

“It was not yet clear, but the information we got from an eye witness was that an SSPDF soldier who seemed to be mentally ill opened fire on his colleagues, resulting in the killing of an innocent girl who is the wife of one of the soldiers and a soldier,” Emma said.

The family of the deceased woman said, “the soldier shot two dead, including the wife of his colleague, and injured four other innocent civilians residing in the barracks before he was gunned down by his colleague.”

He said among the injured were a pregnant woman, a boy, and two other men.

“It was a shock for us as a family. Everyone is confused. The person that started is dead, and the one he injured is critically critical in the hospital. We do not know what will happen to them because some of them are closely related to the same family. “

Speculations                 

On Thursday evening, some local news outlets reported that misunderstandings among SSPDF soldiers at Lui barracks resulted in the killing of civilians and soldiers.

Meanwhile, the South Sudan People Defense Forces spokesman, Major-General Lul Ruai Koang, also confirmed the incident but said the suspect was mentally ill.

“What happened was that a mentally disturbed soldier opened fire on some of his colleagues and residents within the barracks. He ended up killing one soldier along with his wife. “After his colleagues heard the gunshots, they made an attempt to arrest him, but he continued shooting, in the process wounding another woman,” Gen Lul confirmed.

According to Lul Ruai, as a suspected continued shooting and resisting arrest, his colleagues shot him dead, adding that all those confirmed dead were three, including the suspect. “Three were confirmed dead, the man who was shooting people, another serviceman, and his wife. But the fact is that the person that opened fire on others was mentally sick. He was even disarmed, but how he required the gun is something that is not clear, ” he stated