South Sudanese influencer and online commentator Akuach Wol is recovering in hospital after she was shot in an attack by unidentified gunmen in Juba on Monday afternoon, her family has confirmed.
The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. while Wol was driving from Hai Tijariya toward her workplace near the heavily guarded J1 presidential compound. Her vehicle was struck repeatedly at close range, and she sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh, according to her sister, Adut Wol.
“When I regained consciousness after the chaos, I was told Akuach had already been rushed to the hospital by officials from the Office of the President,” Adut told us.
Adut believes the attack is tied to rising online tensions surrounding recent political events. She accused supporters of former vice president for the economic cluster, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, of orchestrating or encouraging hostility against her sister following her public criticism of Bol Mel and her outspoken support for President Salva Kiir.
“She has been receiving threats for days,” Adut said. “It’s clear the people behind this are known. Some of them have openly issued warnings.”
Sources close to the security sector told Radio Tamazuj that Wol had also become a person of interest to the National Security Service (NSS), which in recent weeks launched a crackdown on political livestreamers and online commentators. Several well-known personalities — including Akot Matuongdit, Amath Jok, and Deng Nice King — were arrested last week for allegedly escalating political tensions on social media.
Wol is reported to be in stable condition as she receives treatment.
The shooting comes amid deepening political rifts following President Salva Kiir’s dramatic dismissal of Dr. Bol Mel last Wednesday. Bol Mel, once a rising figure in both business and politics, was removed from his position as vice president for the economic cluster and stripped of the four-star general rank he received in September 2025. He was also dismissed from the National Security Service.
The political fallout has heightened rivalries between Bol Mel’s supporters and those aligned with the president — a divide that appears to be spilling into both social media and the streets of Juba.
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