Eastern Equatoria State governor Louis Lobong Lojore has suffered another blow after one of his bodyguards was shot dead by armed youth in Hiyalla on Saturday.

Last week, the governor narrowly survived an assassination attempt but lost one of his bodyguards when his convoy was attacked by armed Buya youth after he left Camp 15 heading to Kapoeta. 

Major Justin Kleopus Takuru, the state police spokesperson told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that a driver was also injured in the Saturday incident.

“It is along Hiyalla-Torit road, the incidence happened around 3 pm on April 3. A business vehicle came from Kapoeta to Torit. When it reached around 1:30 pm at the Hiyalla checkpoint, seven armed youth appeared in front of the vehicle. According to the injured driver, the seven were moving and blocking the road. So one of our colleagues' officer Albino Longolio alighted and asked them to let the vehicle pass. But immediately he was shot dead," he said.

He adds, “We sent a force to the scene and confirmed that our colleague officer Albino Longolio 40 years old, a Toposa by tribe was killed. He was a bodyguard to our Governor Louis Lobong Lojore so we brought his body for postmortem in the hospital while the driver who was injured has been referred to Juba for further treatment," he explained. 

According to Lobong's press secretary, Aliandro Lotok, the soldiers were escorting students from Isohe to Kapoeta after sitting their secondary school leaving examinations. 

“These were soldiers sent to go and escort children from Isohe to Kapoeta. These were children who have just finished S4 then after returning from Kapoeta on reaching Hiyalla in front of it just these criminals shot them. We are told that this person who killed the soldier was also shot and killed by the Monyomiji (youth) of Hiyalla,” he stated.

Hiyalla Chief John Oromo confirmed that the youth in Hiyalla pursued the attackers and killed one of them. 

“These men are from Tirangore and the one killed is from Oguruny village, they even went through Hiyalla here to Tirangore with some five ladies. They did not ambush but they were moving on the road about 6-7 of them and after the incident, the ladies returned to Hiyalla,” he added.

Following the deaths of more than 20 people in the state, governor Lobong last Friday formed a committee to investigate the cause of the killings.