A South Sudanese soldier seen at unidentified area [Photo by unknown].

The SSPDF brigade in Raja County of Western Bahr el Ghazal State says armed Sudanese men shot dead one of its soldiers at the border town on Friday.

The incident happened west of Raja town, near the border with Sudan’s West Darfur State.

SSPDF Commander in Raja, Brigadier General James Riak Phar said Sudanese armed “criminals” killed Sergeant Richard Kuot in Siri – Malaga on the weekend.

General Riak said the Sudanese gunmen ambushed and clashed with a contingent of the SSPDF patrolling the area – killing the soldier.

“The armed criminals from Sudan clashed with our forces when our forces were patrolling,” he said.

“Our sergeant Major Richard Kuot was killed in the ambush, they fell into an ambush, they were pushed out, and one of them was also killed and this is what happened, the situation is calm in our border line with Sudan, and nothing bad, our gallant forces of SSPDF are okay.”

The army commander said the gunmen are the criminals looting traders along the South Sudan-Sudan border.

“These people are looting the traders, when the traders are crossing into the South from Sudan and this is what they are doing, they are looting vehicles and motorcycles.”

“When our forces learned this, they went to push them away in that place. We are maintaining coordination with the Sudanese authorities, they do visit us in our areas and we also do visit them only that we are disturbed by the criminals who always don’t cooperate with the authority,” said Riak.