Unknown assailants set fire to the private residence of the Bor County commissioner in South Sudan’s Jonglei State on Friday, according to police.

The house, located in the Langbar suburb, lies roughly a 30-minute drive from the Jonglei state government headquarters.

Major Akech Mapiou, the state police spokesperson, said on Sunday that authorities are conducting a manhunt for those behind the attack.

“At 3 p.m. on Friday, some armed assailants went to the private residence of the commissioner and burnt it to ashes,” Mapiou said. “A criminal case has been filed with us and searches for suspects are ongoing. No arrest has been made so far.”

Police called on residents to stay calm, describing the episode as an isolated incident that should not raise broader fears about public safety.

The scale of the property damage and its estimated value remain unclear. No injuries occurred because the house was unoccupied at the time; the residents had left to attend a wrestling ceremony.

Multiple attempts to reach Bor County Commissioner Samuel Ateny Pech by phone went unanswered.Kenya Mach, an activist with the Jonglei State Women Association, condemned the arson and described it as troubling.

“This happened a day after a shooting incident. It is really concerning. If the commissioner’s residence can be attacked, how safe are ordinary citizens?” she said.

Mach linked the attack to a wider pattern of security challenges in the area, including what she called growing gang violence.

She called on the government to set up vocational training centres and expand job opportunities for young people, arguing that idle youth are contributing to the rise in violence.