Aerial view of the Badingilo National Park. (Photo: Courtesy).

A wildlife warden was shot dead and three foreign nationals injured following an ambush near Bandingilo National Park in Central Equatoria State over the weekend.

The Minister of Wildlife  and Tourism, Rezik Zechariah Hassan said the deceased was 1^st Lieutenant in the organized forces.

The three foreigners injured are wildlife experts with the African Park Network, who arrived in the country on the weekend.

Minister Hassan said the incident occurred at Bala in Mangala County at around 6 PM on Saturday.

“They were returning back from that side of Badingolo airstrip going back to Bala which is the headquarters of the park, and they were attacked by 20 unknown gunmen,” Hassan said after visiting the survivors at a hospital in Juba.

The minister stated that the vehicles carrying the experts was ambushed and three of them suffered bullet wounds.

“They had come to the country to serve our wildlife sector while one of the rangers. This is an unfortunate incident.”

The motive behind the attack is unknown.

But Mangala Payam has for months been experiencing cattle-related insecurity.

African Parks is a conservation NGO that manages National Parks & Protected Areas on behalf of governments across Africa to benefit people & wildlife.