A gunfight over loot in Southern Liech has left a military officer dead, the state minister of information has said.
The incident occurred in Leer over the weekend.
Nyuon Joseph says a group of SSPDF soldiers was divided over some animals they had seized during a fighting on the outskirts of the state capital, Leer.
One group wanted the animals returned, a decision the other objected to.
“When they returned to Leer with cows they had seized from IO-held areas, some soldiers argued that the animals be returned since they belonged to civilians,” Joseph told Eye Radio on Monday.
“However, the other group objected, saying since the cattle were taken during clashes, they must not be returned. This sparked the fighting.”
As a result, Nyuon Joseph says a fighting ensued, leaving Major-General Biel Gai Malual dead.
“This occurred the day before yesterday [Saturday]. The misunderstanding was about loots,” he added.
Maj.-Gen. Gai was a member of the former SPLA-IO faction under First Vice President Taban Deng Gai which was merged with the national army around earlier last year.
Information Minister Joseph declined to reveal whose side the military officer was on – the one that suggested the livestock be returned to their rightful owners or the one that rejected the move.