Gunmen kill South Sudan MP in Uganda
Thursday December 07 2017
Gunmen shot and killed South Sudan MP in Uganda on December 6, 2017. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A South Sudanese lawmaker was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in northern Uganda.
Jacob Kuwinsuk Gale, MP for Yei River State, died of his wounds while being taken to hospital, officials said.
Yei's Information minister, Alfred Kenneth Duku, said in a statement that the MP was in Uganda, together with others, for consultations with South Sudanese refugees as part of the National Dialogue.
Mr Duku said the incident occured around 7pm local time (+3GMT) on Wednesday.
No rebel group that operates along the Uganda-South Sudan border has claimed responsibility.
Ugandan police said a cartridge was seized from the scene of the shooting but no arrests have been made yet.
Mr Gale served in the State Transitional Legislative Assembly as the chairperson for Members’ Affairs, Gender and Human Rights Committee.
Last week, two South Sudanese were beheaded in the northern border district of Moyo, Uganda.
South Sudan has been at war since 2013.
The war has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 2 million people becoming refugees in the neighbouring countries.
The government of South Sudan has formed a National Peace Committee that has been regularly visiting refugee camps in northern Uganda in an effort to reach an agreement for repatriation.