South Sudan Aid Doctor Killed ‘in Cold Blood’ Amid Rising Attacks

A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
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South Sudan Aid Doctor Killed ‘in Cold Blood’ Amid Rising Attacks

A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)

A South Sudanese doctor was murdered in the northern, oil-rich Unity state, and colleagues threatened Sunday to go on strike if those responsible are not found.

The murder, which took place Friday, follows the killing of a nurse in April in Eastern Equatoria, a south-eastern state.

On Sunday, a statement released by The South Sudan Doctors’ Union (SSDU), said it was “deeply saddened on the killing of our member, Dr. Louis Edward Saleh in Ganyiel village in Unity State.”

South Sudan is one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarians, with nine aid workers killed there last year, according to the UN.

In January, an aid worker with Joint Aid Management (JAM) was shot dead near Bentiu, which is also in Unity state.

The SSDU said Saleh was working at a clinic sponsored by the International Rescue Committee charity, and was “was killed in cold blood within the facility.”

The IRC did not immediately respond to the report but the regional health ministry said an investigation had been launched.

The SSDU expressed alarm at a series of alleged threats, beatings, arrests, detentions, tortures and killings in several states in recent months.

In mid-May, a humanitarian worker died when an aid convoy came under fire in the west of the country, according to the UN.

The SSDU threatened a strike if investigations are not carried out and those responsible for killing Saleh and the nurse are not found and prosecuted.

South Sudan is struggling to emerge from a six-year civil war that claimed some 380,000 lives and officially ended with the creation of a government of national unity in February last year.



North Korea Says Leader Kim Supervised Missile Tests Simulating Nuclear Strikes Against Rivals 

This picture taken on May 8, 2025 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a joint striking drill of long-range artillery and missile systems of the Korean People's Army eastern front division, at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
This picture taken on May 8, 2025 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a joint striking drill of long-range artillery and missile systems of the Korean People's Army eastern front division, at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
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North Korea Says Leader Kim Supervised Missile Tests Simulating Nuclear Strikes Against Rivals 

This picture taken on May 8, 2025 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a joint striking drill of long-range artillery and missile systems of the Korean People's Army eastern front division, at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)
This picture taken on May 8, 2025 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a joint striking drill of long-range artillery and missile systems of the Korean People's Army eastern front division, at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of short-range ballistic missile systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces, state media said Friday, as the North continued to blame its rivals for escalating tensions through their joint military exercises.

The report came a day after South Korea’s military detected multiple launches from North Korea’s eastern coast and assessed that the tests could also be related to the country’s weapons exports to Russia during its war in Ukraine.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday’s tests involved a mobile ballistic missile system apparently modeled after Russia’s Iskander, as well as 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers that South Korean officials classify as ballistic due to their self-propulsion and guided flight. Both are part of a growing lineup of weapons systems that the North says could be armed with “tactical” nuclear weapons for battlefield use.

KCNA said the tests were intended to train military units operating missile and rocket systems to more effectively execute attacks under the North’s nuclear weapons control system and ensure a swift response to a nuclear crisis.

The agency criticized the United States and its “vassal states” for expanding joint military exercises on and around the Korean Peninsula, which the North claims are preparations for nuclear war, and said Thursday’s launches demonstrated the “rapid counteraction posture” of its forces.

Kim stressed the need to strengthen the role of his nuclear forces in both deterring and fighting war, and called for continued efforts to improve combat readiness and precision strike capabilities, KCNA said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple missiles of various types were launched from the area around the eastern port city of Wonsan on Thursday from about 8:10 to 9:20 a.m., with the farthest traveling about 800 kilometers (497 miles).

Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs, said in a briefing the North Korean launches were possibly intended to test the performance of weapons it plans to export, as the country continues to send military equipment and troops to fuel Russia’s warfighting against Ukraine.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that none of the North Korean missiles reached Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there was no damage to vessels or aircraft in the area.

It was the North’s first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country’s sixth launch event of the year.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program and supply weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Thursday’s launch came a day after North Korean state media said Kim urged munition workers to boost the production of artillery shells amid his deepening alignment with Moscow.