A 28-year-old police officer has been shot and killed while reportedly carrying out night-duty security responsibilities at the Gambella Baro Bridge, residents and family members told Gambella Vision.
The victim, identified as Marjiak Koang, a Nuer police officer, was reportedly attacked while stationed at the bridge.
Gambella Vision has independently verified the death, although the identity of the attacker or attackers and the precise motive for the shooting remain subject to further investigation.
According to Nyawargak Koang, Marjiak’s sister, her brother was on duty at the bridge alongside an Anyuak colleague.
Nyawargak said the colleague reportedly told Marjiak to remain at the post while he went to inform other police officers that it was time for them to change duty. She said that approximately one minute after the colleague left, gunmen reportedly opened fire on Marjiak.
Nyawargak further told Gambella Vision that her brother, before he died, said he believed the gunmen were Anyuak armed men.
This is the family’s account of Marjiak’s reported final statement and is being presented as such. Marjiak was taken to Gambella Primary Hospital after the shooting, where he later died from his injuries, according to his sister and residents familiar with the incident.
His death while reportedly serving on night duty at one of Gambella City’s key public locations has raised fresh concerns among residents about the security of police personnel and civilians during nighttime hours.
The circumstances surrounding the killing have also raised concerns about the wider inter-communal security environment in Gambella, particularly the recurring tensions involving the region’s two largest communities, the Anywaa and Nuer.
Previous conflict-monitoring reports have documented deadly clashes between Anywaa and Nuer armed groups in Gambella, including violence in Itang Special Woreda and Gambella City.
ACLED has also documented renewed violence in the region during 2025, including attacks on civilians and a police station in Itang.
The broader security context remains significant. In its 27 August 2026 Ethiopia Travel Advisory, the U.S. Department of State described Gambella as an area facing crime, ethnically motivated violence, kidnapping, armed conflict and unrest, and said there is a high risk of ethnic conflict and related armed violence in the region.
The advisory is not an investigation into Marjiak’s death, but it provides independent context for the security concerns surrounding Gambella.
Against this backdrop, the reported circumstances of Marjiak’s killing have raised questions about whether the shooting could be connected to broader inter-communal tensions.
The incident also comes amid continuing concerns about security around major roads and public facilities in Gambella. Previous independently documented incidents have included attacks on public transportation near Abol, deadly clashes around Itang and the killing of an international NGO worker in an ambush on the Itang-Abol-Gambella road in December 2025.
These incidents do not establish a connection to Marjiak’s killing, but they illustrate the wider security environment in which the latest shooting occurred.
For residents, the killing of a young police officer while reportedly performing his assigned duty is likely to intensify concerns about night time security in Gambella City.
The Baro Bridge is an important point of movement in the city, making the circumstances surrounding an attack there particularly significant for residents and security authorities.
