(JUBA) – The suspended SPLM-IO-nominated Commissioner of Cueibet County in Lakes State, Daniel Deng Mario Deng, and his family narrowly escaped harm early Friday morning after gunmen attempted to break into their home in the Sherikat suburb of Juba.
Deng told Radio Tamazuj the attack occurred shortly after midnight, around 12:01 a.m., while he was asleep.
“I initially thought someone knocking on my door might be a relative. But the persistent knocking raised my suspicion,” Deng said. “I instructed my wife to find a safe spot in the room, picked up my firearm, and prepared to defend myself.”
He described how three unidentified men were knocking on multiple doors of the house, including his bedroom and the kitchen. He did not call his bodyguard, who was sleeping in another room, fearing that doing so would expose him to the attackers first.
Deng said he relied on his military background to take defensive measures and later awoke his bodyguard. He spotted one of the men in the compound tall, masked in black cloth over his head and mouth, and carrying a firearm.
“An exchange of gunfire followed. Fortunately, none of my family members was injured,” he stated.
The attackers, according to Deng, initiated the shooting.
“I only returned fire in self defence after identifying one of them through the window,” he explained.
He also clarified that during his term as commissioner, no executions by firing squad took place in Cueibet County without legal procedures.
“I only used special courts to try people, with full respect for due process.”
Deng, who was suspended from his role by Lakes State Governor Rin Tueny, said he has already informed the governor of the incident.
“Governor Rin Tueny responded with a message expressing regret about what happened,” Deng said.
The motivation behind the attack remains unknown, but Deng believes it may have been an assassination attempt. He urged authorities to thoroughly investigate the case.
Civil society voices have echoed this demand. Daniel Laat Kon, a Lakes State based civil society activist, strongly condemned the incident.
“This is a serious matter and must be investigated quickly. The attackers should be brought to justice,” he said.
When contacted, William Koji Kerjok, acting Minister of Information and Communication in Lakes State, declined to comment, stating that he was outside the state at the time.