Police in Aweil South County of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State said a young man identified as Luol Majak Arop was killed during communal work involving local youth in Panthou Payam last week and that the suspected killer, Akuei Akot Akuei, has been apprehended.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, the Aweil South County police inspector, Lt. Colonel Andrew Arop, said the young man died due to injuries to his neck following a dispute among the youths.
“Our news is good. We celebrated in happiness, there was no serious problem that happened and the celebrations are going on well. What happened in Panthou on 20 December was that somebody called Akuei Akot Akuei killed Luol Majak Luol. We carried out procedures and we arrested the suspect and he is now in custody,’’ Col. Arop said.
According to the police, a group of youth was invited to a function to celebrate the new crop harvest and they got drunk and developed misunderstandings and the deceased was killed while he fought with his killer.
The Aweil South executive director, Tuau Mou Aguot, also confirmed the incident and said it occurred during harvesting, saying that the deceased was rushed to Panthou hospital for treatment but he lost his life.
Tuau Mou appreciated both families for their patience and their decision to respect and allow the law to take its course.
“Yes, the incident that happened in Panthou occurred on 20th December 2020, somebody was conducting communal work and invited about ten youths to attend a crop harvest event. They went there and drank alcohol and the two people fought until one was punched and his neck was broken,’’ Tuau Mou said.
Medics in Aweil South County said that the death was caused by fractures on the deceased’s neck, adding that the body was handed over to the family for burial in Wathmuok area, Aweil South County.
Kuot Pel Pel, the Aweil South County medical director said, “Yes, it was broken from the neck towards the head and it caused internal bleeding. The body was given to the parents of the deceased and transferred to that side of Wathmuok.”
Bounchuai paramount Chief, Piol Geng Ariath, revealed that tensions were about to escalate after the deceased’s clan decided to perform rituals at the scene of the murder to appease the spirit of the late following the Dinka customs.
Geng further explained that the suspect’s clan had wrongly interpreted the arrival of the victim’s clan members, saying that it was a revenge attack. Security organs intervened and the situation was contained.
“People were preparing for the funeral and of course we have customs that say if somebody is killed far from home, goats must be taken to that place where a person was killed to bring the spirit back home,” Geng said. “And after the relatives of the deceased went to take the spirit, they got many people from the accused’s side who decided to fight, thinking that they had attacked to avenge the deceased. But the police dispersed the crowd and controlled the situation.”