Veteran South Sudanese journalist Veronica Lucy Gordon has been shot and killed along the Lui–Mundri road in Western Equatoria State while travelling from Lui Payam in Mundri East County to Mundri West town on Thursday night.
Gordon was among delegates heading to Mundri West for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) primaries and congresses.
She was reportedly aspiring for a seat in the National Assembly under the Women’s List.
Another person identified only as Justin, an elderly former teacher in Mundri West and an elder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was also reportedly killed in the attack, according to Mundri-based Amadi FM.
Several other members of the delegation remain unaccounted for, while some reportedly fled into the bush during the attack.
One person sustained critical injuries and was taken to Lui Hospital for treatment.
Gordon began her journalism career in 1983 at the Nile Mirror newspaper before working with the Sudan National Broadcasting Corporation between 1985 and 2000.
In 2006, she co-founded the Association of Media Women in South Sudan (AMWISS) to promote women’s participation and advancement in journalism.
She later served as a director at South Sudan Radio in 2012 and became the first female deputy chairperson of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) in 2014.
In September 2024, Catholic Radio Network reported that Gordon had been named among Africa’s 100 Most Influential Women at the African Women Awards in recognition of her contributions to journalism and women’s rights.
Her death marks a significant loss to South Sudan’s media fraternity, particularly women journalists, among whom she championed professional development, mentorship and greater representation in the industry.
