Villages along the Juba-Nimule road have suffered numerous insecurity challenges/Credit| Louis Berger.

A traditional chief and his son were shot dead Saturday evening in a village along the Nimule-Juba highway.  

According to a community leader in the area, chief Santino Wani and his son Elia Santino were gunned down at around 5 PM at their home in Molujore village, near Jebelen, about 27 miles from Juba.

The chief’s son, Elia Santino was said to have been about 30 years old.

Lanjino Michael Kuk says the motive for the killings is unclear, but he blames armed cattle herders for the crime.

“We have a chief shot dead with his son at home, 27 miles in Molujore before Nyerjebi Jebelen along Juba-Nimule road, and the day before yesterday, the cattle herders came and took more than 30 heads of goats,” Mr. Michael told Eye Radio on Sunday.

The killers of Santino and his son are still at large, he added.

The community leader says armed cattle herders are a source of insecurity in the area.

He revealed that one day ago, another man, Oleo Sebit was also killed along the Juba-Torit road when a vehicle he was picked from a vehicle he was traveling in.

Mr. Michael Kuk called n the national government to secure the two roads.