Kenyan Businessman Shot Dead During Robbery in South Sudan

A Kenyan businessman has lost his life after being shot by heavily armed gangsters in South Sudan.

The incident is said to have happened on Monday, April 1 in Bor town.

According to Radio Tamazuj, one of the suspects was arrested hours after the incident.

The name of the businessman is yet to be made public.

Major General Moses Machok Makuach, the acting police commissioner in Jonglei State, confirmed the killing of the businessman.

“After the incident, we dispatched our security forces and closed the Bor-Juba Road and the roads within the town. One suspected was arrested along the Juba-Bor road,” he said.

“We brought him here (Bor) and he is undergoing investigations to establish whether he was involved in the crime or not,” he added.

The killing of the businessman created tension among foreign traders in Bor town.

The police commissioner said an unspecified amount of money was stolen during the robbery incident.

The police also called for calm among the foreign business community in Bor as they promised to strengthen security and bring the killers to justice.

The body of the Kenyan was transferred to a nearby morgue for autopsy.

According to data from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) a decrease in violent incidents from 2021 to 2022, the country continues to grapple with a high crime rate.

UNMISS’s 2023 report highlights a rise in major offences such as murder, assault, kidnapping, and conflict-related sexual violence. These crimes are often attributed to civil defence organizations and local militias.