Panic as Gunmen Raid Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kill South Sudanese National

Kakuma Refugee Camp. [COURTESY]

Security officials are investigating an incident in which an unknown number of gunmen raided the Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana and killed a South Sudanese refugee in an attack.

The deceased was identified as Francis Lado Abraham, 29.

Police said the incident happened at Kalobeyei village 3 neighborhood 20 compound 1 house 9 within Kakuma refugee camp.

According to the police, the incident happened on Wednesday, August 30 at dawn.

The gang, which was armed with AK47 rifles had cut the deceased’s house using a sharp object to gain entry, police said.

They then shot the refugee in the head and escaped into the nearby thicket. The wife who was inside the house at the time of the incident told police the killers were speaking Arabic language.

Three spent cartridges of 7.62mm special were recovered at the scene. During the incident, nothing was stolen from the house, police said.

The motive however is yet to be known. The deceased and his family were among thousands who are accommodated at the poorly manned refugee camp.

The body of the man was moved to the local ICRC clinic for autopsy and other procedures.

Police said they are investigating a murder in the issue and will liaise with their South Sudanese counterparts if it emerges the gang originated there.

Kakuma was established in 1992 in response to the arrival of thousands of Sudanese children who were fleeing civil war, known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”

Today, the camp hosts more than 201,000 refugees, many of whom are from South Sudan and Somalia.

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