Gov. Lobong relocates office after fire outbreak destroyed part of state secretariat

JUBA – The governor of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state Louis Lobong Lojore has relocated his office after a fire outbreak on Sunday destroyed part of the state secretariat, according to a statement.

The statement by the governor’s office said that police authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire outbreak which took place on Sunday.

The fire which broke out under unclear circumstances is believed to have started from the main power supply system spreading to a storage building that houses historical documents from 1994 to 2019.

The fire which erupted on Wednesday destroyed the offices of the state executive director and deputy secretary-general.

Part of the office of the governor got burnt and the rest were rescued.

The fire was reportedly put off by Civil Defense Services, a department of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and some local residents in Torit.

In a statement Wednesday, the governor’s office said the cause of the fire will be determined as investigation was going on.

“We would like to inform the public that investigation is going on to establish the cause of the fire,” the statement reads in part.

It said the building has been abandoned until the completion of the renovation.

“At the moment, the Office of the Governor will not operate at the Secretariat General until the renovation is done. The Governor will run the activities of the State from a different location,” it said.