A Quiet Morning Turns Violent in Woroworo
At 08:00, farmer Pasquali Lopeyok, 38, was watering crops in Woroworo when two rifle shots cracked the silence. Witnesses say bullets struck his head and waist, leaving him dead on the soil he farmed for years.
County officials allege the assailants crossed overnight from Lolianga in neighbouring Torit County, resting in Lofi before moving at dawn. The suspects chased Lopeyok after an initial missed shot, confirming, authorities say, a calculated mission rather than a chance encounter.
Footprints Lead to Lolianga, Authorities Say
Unarmed village youths trailed footprints and cartridge casings through the hills until they reached the Lolianga boundary. Fearing reprisals, they halted and alerted security forces. ‘We need trained officers to finish the pursuit,’ Head Chief Avelino Loliha told local radio.
Ikotos Commissioner Timon Loboi confirmed the trail and said discussions with his Torit counterpart were underway. ‘Illegal firearms in civilian hands remain our biggest obstacle to peaceful co-existence,’ he noted, pledging a joint investigation stretching across county lines.
Calls for Joint Action Against Illegal Arms
State legislator Alphones Muras Chacha condemned the killing and urged restraint. ‘Taking revenge only widens the graveyard,’ he warned, insisting that suspects be prosecuted in courtrooms, not bush paths. His remarks echoed repeated parliamentary debates on small-arms control in Eastern Equatoria.
Community activists propose mixed patrols combining trained police, wildlife rangers and customary chiefs familiar with border trails. Their concept, already piloted near Kapoeta, aims to intercept raiders without escalating inter-clan tensions, offering a template for Ikotos once logistical funding is secured.
Residents Pin Hope on Swift Justice
As Woroworo prepares Lopeyok’s burial, mourners voice a single demand: accountability. They recall previous cases fading in administrative files and fear a similar outcome. This time, they argue, clear footprints and eyewitness accounts give investigators an uncommon head start.
Regional observers note that bringing suspects to trial would reinforce recent state-level dialogues on cross-county cooperation. A conviction, they say, could show residents that formal institutions work, reducing motivation for private revenge and helping restore confidence in rural security structures.