Unidentified gunmen on Sunday shot and killed a top security officer for the governor of South Sudan’s Imatong state, Tobolio Alberio, sparking tension in the capital, Torit.

The deceased, identified as Santo Mawiir, guarded Tobolio, who confirmed the incident, calling for calm.

The security officer, according to the governor, was a member of the national security service assigned from their headquarters in Juba to accord him protection.

The circumstances under which the officer was killed remain unclear and no group claimed responsibility for the shooting.

The officer was reportedly shot as he traveled to the main market.

Meanwhile the state governor appealed to the population not to take the law in their hands, saying investigations were underway to establish the identities of the officer’s killers as well as their motives.

Imatong, one of the 28 states of South Sudan, is located in the Equatoria region and borders Yei River to the southwest, Jubek to the west, Terekeka and Jonglei to the northwest, Boma to the northeast, Namorunyang to the east and Uganda to the south.

REPORT/SUDAN TRIBUNE