The incident occurred on Friday night in Mawut-Apuk village when armed men ambushed the four victims as they walked home. According to county commissioner Marko Garang Anyar, the assailants opened fire on the group at around 10:00 p.m., killing two on the spot and leaving the others with serious injuries.
Commissioner Anyar, speaking to this publication on Tuesday, described the attack as shocking and deeply distressing to the local community. He identified the deceased as Kuot Akec Majok and 21-year-old Weng Chol Atem, while the injured were named as 23-year-old Maring Achuil Mawan and 21-year-old Achok Malual.
“These civilians were unarmed and simply walking at night. Unfortunately, because they were speaking in Nuer, the armed men assumed they were part of a Nuer youth group planning a cattle raid,” Commissioner Anyar said. “The attackers acted on suspicion without confirming their identities, leading to this senseless loss of life.”
He explained that tensions in the area have made the Nuer language a trigger for suspicion. “In our county, it has become a forbidden belief that anyone heard speaking in the Nuer dialect at night is a cattle raider. That dangerous assumption is what led to this tragedy,” he added.
According to the commissioner, the armed men had earlier received information alleging that Nuer youth were heading toward the county to raid cattle. Acting on that tip, they set an ambush, which tragically caught innocent civilians instead.
Authorities have since arrested two suspects believed to have been involved in the shooting. Investigations are ongoing, and Commissioner Anyar urged the victims’ families to remain calm and allow the law to take its course.
“This incident should remind us that violence based on suspicion and stereotypes only breeds more pain. We must handle such matters lawfully, not through vigilantism,” he stressed.
The attack has left the community in fear, with calls growing for stronger measures to prevent such deadly misunderstandings in the future.
