July 25th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – A former SPLA officer who had initially defected to join the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (IO) and then to Thomas Cirilo’s NAS has been killed by suspected South Sudan security operatives in a refugee camp in Uganda.
Col. Nelson Sekwati Loyita, the deceased, defected in August, 2017 to join another rebel group headed by Gen. Thomas Cirilo who is leading the National Salvation Front against the government of Salva Kiir Mayardiit.
The police in Moyo District are investigating circumstances under which a gunman sneaked into Palorinya Camp and shot dead a refugee previously linked to a South Sudan rebel group on Sunday night.
The Moyo District Police Commander, Mr Stephen Agaba, announced on Monday that a man with a gun sneaked into the refugee camp and gunned down the former SPLA officer turned civilian.
“We experienced murder by shooting at Keguru Belameling Zone in Palorinya Refugee Settlement by unknown gunmen. A Postmortem was carried out and it was discovered that the deceased was killed by one bullet which was shot on his neck and it passed through the mouth and shuttered the brain.” the police commander said.
Mr Agaba said a cartridge recovered at the scene showed the assailant used a pistol.
Detectives said their preliminary findings show that the deceased was a South Sudan government soldier who defected to Machar’s SPLA-IO before decamping to the National Salvation Front insurgent group.
“Police so far have it that he was killed by his fellow rebels. We have not yet established whether the SPLA-IO belonging to Dr Riek Machar or National Salvation Front (NAS) group,” Mr Agaba added.
The deceased had abandoned rebellion, escaped to Uganda where he has registered as a refugee and was settling in a civilian life.
