Violent Robbery Results in Refugee Death

By Ibrahim – KANERE reporters

One refugee killed by gunshot and a dozen injured by gunmen in Kakuma.

The armed attackers ambushed a group of refugees between Kakuma Camps 2 and 3, robbing them of money and mobile phones while holding them at gunpoint.

“Gunmen emerged from the bush, stopped us, and instructed us to surrender our phones,” eye witness Dak told a KANERE reporter.

The incident took place on October 5th, 2018 around 19:00 hours between Kakuma 2 and 3, near Angelina Jolie Girls Boarding Primary School. The incident was immediately reported to Kakuma police station.

According to eye witnesses, Chol Koan Deng was killed when he resisted the demands of the ambushers. “He was shot when he refuses to surrender his wallet and phone,” explained Dak.

Deng, 38 years old and a father of 6 children who lived with him in the camp, has previously worked with camp agencies including the UNHCR, for whom he served as an interpreter.

“After they killed him, they took his phone and money from his pocket,” one close relative to Deng told KANERE.

The deceased and other victims were returning home from Kakuma 4, where they had spent the whole day raising funds for an Evangelical church serving the Nuer community. Dak reflected that “it had been a good day full of activities and plans, before we were attacked.”

The attackers were suspected to be from the host community, as the eye witness recalled that three men were armed with knives on their wrist and AK47 rifles, and one held a wooden stool. Before the incident, the gunmen were allegedly looting other passersby along the paths that connect Kakuma two and three.

Police in Kakuma have launched an investigation but have not apprehended anyone in connection to the murder.