Gunmen kill journalist Veronica Gordon in Western Equatoria ambush
Gordon's killing came as delegates returning from SPLM primaries were ambushed in Miri Loko village, leaving two others wounded, while the attackers' identities and motive remain.
Veronica Lucy Gordon, a veteran journalist and recent parliamentary candidate, and Justin Akim, a former teacher and church elder, were killed on Thursday evening, November 12, when unidentified gunmen attacked a vehicle carrying Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) delegates on the Lui-Mundri road in Western Equatoria State. The attack occurred at about 7 p.m. in Miri Loko village as the delegates returned from SPLM primaries in Lui Payam to Mundri West. Two other people were wounded, and several delegates fled into nearby bushes.
Eye Radio reported that the attackers targeted the last vehicle in the convoy. Western Equatoria Caretaker Minister of Information Noah Issa told Eye Radio that the identities of the attackers and their motive remain unknown. Gordon, a former South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) journalist, had been nominated to contest a women's seat in the National Legislative Assembly.
The Female Journalists Network (FJN), the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJoSS) and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Alliance on Elections condemned the killing in separate statements issued on Friday and called for an urgent investigation and accountability. The CSOs Alliance said violence against women in political life undermines their constitutional rights and equal participation in governance.
Why it mattersFemale candidates and journalists in Western Equatoria now face the same road threats that killed Gordon, and the attackers remain unidentified with no motive given.