Authorities in Eastern Equatoria said they had arrested two people suspects of ambushing and looting a vehicle of the World Food programme in Lafon County last month.
Armed men ambushed the WFP vehicle in August and walked away with the staff’s belongings. The WFP staff were on their way from Imehejek after spending 12 days in the Lafon area to monitor food security, education, and other programs.
Early this month, county authorities recovered WFP kinds of looted stuff and handed them over to the state government.
Speaking to Singaita FM, the state government spokesperson Patrick Oting Cyprian said suspects have been arrested and are awaiting further investigations before been arraigned in court.
He said two suspects had been arrested from Imehejek in connection with the looting of the WFP vehicle, but the government will continue to hunt down the rest.
We have two culprits that are brought in Torit from Lafon County, from Imehejek. We have two people. One of them is among the five or four people who looted the vehicle of WFP in Ibahure,” Patrick Otting told Singaita FM.
Patrick Oting explained that the second suspect was involved in another looting of the WFP vehicle in Lacharock.
“The second person was also involved in another incident of WFP, but it was in Lacharock.
These two people are in our custody. We are still looking for the rest that are part of the looting, especially in the Ibahure area,” explained Patrick Oting.
Authority stated that the lootings of the World Food Programme vehicles had caused more suffering to the people in Lafon County. It called the humanitarian agencies to continue to supply food to the needy people in the area.
“The community is now suffering because of that and looking from the WFP part because they have given the condition that if these people are not apprehended, they would not supply food.
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“It is our priority and prerogative to apprehend these people and bring them to the relevant authority for justice to prevail. But WFP should continue supplying food to the needy people in Lafon County,” he said.
The World Food Programme had suspended its activities in Lafon County following the incident.
