27/05/2026
🚨 UPDATE,
The people of Western Equatoria State, together with the greater Azande community, are grieving the devastating loss of five of their sons who were killed in the recent attack at Kendila Bridge in Morobo County. The victims were part of a construction team working on the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure in the area.
According to a survivor, Lillian Oliver, the victims were part of a team assigned by a private construction company contracted to carry out work on the bridge. Upon their arrival in Morobo, the county commissioner reportedly deployed approximately 50 SSPDF soldiers to provide security as construction commenced.
However, just three days into the project, suspected SPLA-IO forces launched an initial attack, during which one of the soldiers assigned for protection was shot. Following this incident on Friday, May 22, the workers raised serious safety concerns and protested, requesting either to halt the work and return to Juba or to be accommodated in Morobo town while only accessing the site during daytime hours.
Despite these concerns, the Morobo County Commissioner reportedly insisted that both workers and engineers remain stationed at the site, assuring them of maximum security and promising additional troop deployment by Saturday, May 23. According to the survivor, these reinforcements never arrived.
The situation escalated on Monday evening at approximately 6:00 PM, when armed attackers reportedly descended on the site. Lillian recounts that the assailants began forcibly removing company staff from their tents one by one before fatally shooting them.
She further explained that the few soldiers present attempted to resist the attack engaging the attackers in a firefight. Amid the chaos, she managed to escape into the bush alongside a small number of survivors.
This heartbreaking incident underscores the ongoing security challenges in the regi
