LAMWO. A Ugandan soldier was shot dead and another injured by suspected South Sudan gunmen in a Tuesday night clash in Lamwo District.
The UPDF 5th Division public relations officer, Capt Amos Nsamba named the deceased as Lawrence Kassagga.
The incident reportedly occurred at Pobudi Cell, Bang Ward in Madi-Opei Town Council.
But Capt Nsamba said the attack took place at Apiriti, a cross-border point in Madi-Opei Sub-county.
Madi-Opei Town Council lies some 11 kilometres from Apiriti while Banabana military barracks is located some 4 kilometres from the town council.
Mr Abdallah Juma Jalleh, the Town Council chairman, told LookNorth that the soldiers, who responded to a tip off, fell into an ambush staged by the 10 gunmen at the kraal.
“From the information that I got, the soldiers arrived at the kraal where the gunmen had already laid an ambush and were attacked straight away,” Mr Juma Jalleh said.
He said the commander of the UPDF unit was shot on the leg but his comrades put up a spirited fight and fought of the cattle rustlers fled towards Madi-Opei hills at the border.
“Intelligence reports indicate that the attackers have not gone very far, and may return for more raids if not pursued by the army,” the chairman said.
Mr Juma Jalleh said available information intimates that the gunmen may be rogue elements or deserters from the South Sudanese Liberation Army (SPLA).
“What the army needs to do is to wake up, confront and defeat these gunmen or else they will keep on disturbing the border areas,” he said.
Mr Juma Jalleh said the Town Council security committee had resolved that cattle owners pool their livestock in one or two central kraals in every ward to make it easy for the soldiers to guard them at night.
