A 34-year-old man identified as Chan Kuol has been admitted to the Wau Teaching Hospital with severe burns after he set himself ablaze after dousing his body with fuel in the Jebel suburb of Wau on Wednesday.
According to Nura Rajab, an eyewitness who sells tea at the place where the incident happened, Kuol charged toward a telephone charging kiosk while holding a plastic bottle containing fuel which he poured on his body before striking a lighter.
“He (Kuol) came from the road to the market with a bottle of fuel and some women who were selling bread asked him what he want to do but he kept quiet and continued to move towards the door of the phone charging kiosk,” she narrated. “He picked a lighter and set himself on fire and started running and tried to enter into the kiosk but the kiosk owner who had a child inside with him closed the door.”
Rajab said Kuol, who was now on fire and screaming, eventually ran and fell down in a nearby restaurant. She said Kuol seemed to have a problem with the owner of the phone charging kiosk known as Adam over a telephone that vanished at the latter’s place.
When contacted by Radio Tamazuj, the acting state police commissioner, Major General James Simon, confirmed the incident.
“The incident happened yesterday (Wednesday) at Hai Jebel. There is a young boy aged 34 years who seemed to be having a problem related to a mobile phone with another one called Adam who owns a phone charging center in Jau Market,” he explained. “Chan Kuol took petrol and poured it on his body and lit his body with the aim of committing suicide. He was under influence of alcohol.”
Gen. Simon added: “He is currently admitted at the hospital while Adam is in our detention and investigations will be conducted to determine the differences between them.”
Meanwhile, a nurse at Wau Teaching Hospital said the Kuol is responding well to the treatment although he suffered third-degree burns.
“At 12:45 pm (Wednesday), we received somebody from Jau market with third-degree burns on the hands but he is now stable,” she said. “The only problem is that there is no treatment at the hospital although we are trying our level best to get him treatment.”