Juba-Bor highway. |Courtesy/ARC.

The Police of Jonglei State said on Friday a national security officer was gunned down in a road ambush along the Bor-Malakal Highway on Thursday.

Police Commissioner Major Gen. Elia Costa named the deceased security officer as 24-year-old Deng Makuac.

General Costa said the Makuac was killed in an ambush on the convoy of construction company – Africa Resource Corporation (ARC).

The incident reportedly happened along the highway linking Jonglei to Upper Nile and 16 miles away from Bor town.

The ambush occurred on the same day that 14 people were killed and 7,000 cattle were raided in Duk County in the state.

However, the police commissioner could not establish if the two incidents are connected.

Speaking to Eye Radio Friday afternoon, the police official said the attackers have not been identified.

“On January 4, 2024, there were cars belonging to the African Resources Company, which work in road maintenance, and they moved from the Malingtor area heading towards Malakal, 16 kilometers from Bor,” Costa narrated.

“The vehicles were ambushed, and the vehicle was shot, causing the death of one of the security personnel who was accompanying the mission his name is Deng Makuac 24 years old.”