Top RRC official accuses SSPDF Captain of assassination plot in Northern Bahr El Ghazal

AWEIL – The Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State, Ben Lual Awach, has accused a senior officer of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) of orchestrating an assassination attempt against him in Aweil Town on Tuesday afternoon.

Awach alleges that Captain Ajou Ajou of the SSPDF led a group of armed men who ambushed him at around 3:20 PM while he was driving to MBC Hotel in Aweil. In a statement shared on his official Facebook page shortly after the incident, Awach claimed the attackers blocked his vehicle and opened fire before physically assaulting him and seizing his belongings.

“An unbelievable incident happened to me this afternoon at 3:20 PM while driving to MBC Hotel, Aweil Town,” Awach wrote.

“On the way, I was intentionally attacked by Captain Ajou Ajou with his crew. I was shot in the right leg, my left armpit was fractured, and I was beaten on the left side of my head. All my belongings were taken, including government vehicle number 6624 BC.”

The RRC official described the attack as deliberate and urged his relatives and supporters to remain calm as the matter proceeds through legal channels.

“I urge friends and relatives to remain calm as the law takes its course. I don’t know what he demands from me,” he stated.

However, state authorities have offered a more cautious account of the incident. The Secretary General of the Northern Bahr El Ghazal State Government, Garang Kuot Kuot, told local media that the matter appears to stem from a long-standing personal dispute between Awach and the accused officer, reportedly linked to a failed sale agreement.

Kuot said the disagreement had previously attracted the attention of former Governor Simon Ober but remained unresolved. While confirming that the government vehicle was taken during the incident, he downplayed reports that Awach had suffered gunshot wounds, describing his injuries as minor.

The RRC Chairperson dismissed the Secretary-General’s remark, describing it as misinformation and denied having any business deal with the SSPDF captain.

“There is misinformation reported by the Secretary General of Northern Bhar El Ghazal state, Mr Garang Kuot Kuot, claiming I have failed a sale agreement with Captain Ajou Ajou,” Lual said.

“I want to dismiss that information is not true I have no personal sale agreement with him or any individuals what I know it was my former deputy Chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, Hon. Angelo Deng Akol and others individuals within the RRC office, NBGS -Aweil, who have local arrangements of a car sale agreement with someone, but I was not involved in the process,” he added.