Authorities in Aweil West County of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have confirmed that the Achana Payam administrator, Moses Deng Yel, and Nyang Akook Nyang were shot and wounded by suspected armed men from Sudan on Friday last week.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, the Aweil West County Executive Director, Atuer Arol Kuan, said that the duo was ambushed while on their way from Majok Dengdit area to Achana. Their motorbike was robbed and no suspects have been apprehended.
“Two people were shot by Arab Rizeigat tribesmen last week. The injured are Nyang Akook Nyang and Moses Deng Yel, a local government administrator, and they are now receiving treatment in Aweil,” Arol said. “The suspects are Arabs and they were not found up to now and they have taken a motorbike belonging to the Payam administrator. They were riding from Majok Dengdit area to Achana market before they were shot.”
He added that there is panic in the area but security forces have been deployed to protect citizens.
Speaking from his hospital bed in Aweil Civil Hospital, Deng Yel, the injured Achana Payam administrator, said they met the assailants while they were going to the Payam headquarters where the market is located.
Deng revealed that the suspects shot them and made away with their motorbike and a pistol.
“I was riding the motorbike and these people met us on the way, they shot at me twice and at the third time, they managed to shoot me. When I asked the boy to give me my pistol, they also shot the boy and that was what happened. We ran away and they took the motorbike and the pistol, they were two Arab men and they were footing,” Yel said.
The Dinka Malual Paramount Chief in Aweil West County, Dut Majak, said such acts are carried out only by criminals and that such incidents will be addressed through permanent peace between the two communities.
“What happened is a criminal act and the criminals are always going to do such things and we are at peace with the Rizeigat. We will sit with them and discuss everything through peace and we don’t have any problem with them. Criminals are the ones confusing the situation,” chief Majak said. “And we are calling upon the Rezeigat peace committee to hand over the perpetrators to justice so that we can both enjoy the peace we have.’’
Mahmud Al-Sadig, the Rizeigat community leader in Northern Bahr-el- Ghazal State, said he received the reports of the incident and denied his people’s involvement in the crime until thorough investigations are carried out.
“We heard the reports at the market which is mixed with Dinka and Rizeigat. It is at the border between Raja and Aweil and I think the Payam administrator and his companion were ambushed by the criminals and their motorbike was stolen. It is unknown criminals but the accusation is against the Rizeigat despite no one seeing them doing the very act,’’ said Al-Sadig.