Local authorities in Budi County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State have reported that one person was shot dead during a revenge attack in Riwoto village over the weekend.
Alfred Odong, the Executive Director of Budi County confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that the late had beaten the brother of the suspect into a coma four days prior.
“This problem occurred due to drinking. The suspect killed this man who had beaten his brother. You know here we have different types of drinks and alcohol actually is not acceptable by the government but people just take it the way they like,” Odong said.
Odong said such crimes can only be mitigated if intellectuals and politicians join hands and talk to their people in the villages.
Bosco Lotyang, the area Member of Parliament representing constituency number 19, Budi County, in the state assembly said, "There were boys who went to drink alcohol from Ngalam but the youth from Riwoto followed them and attacked them on the road. The rest of the people ran but they arrested one and beat him until he became unconscious. He slept there the whole night and almost died but he woke up and went to his village of Ngalam and reported," Lotyang said.
According to the legislator, “A few days later some people went to Chukudum to receive sorghum after a food-for-work program and they returned and rested in a place called Kirihori. The person who earlier beat the boy appeared there and immediately they attacked him. The brother to the boy threw that man down, took his gun, and shot him dead.”
Lotyang advised the residents to stop taking the law into their hands and seek legal means to resolve disputes.
Meanwhile, the secretary-general for the Civil Society Network for Eastern Equatoria State (CSNEES), Ocheng Philip Clement, discouraged revenge attacks and killings and called for justice.
“As civil society, we discourage revenge killings and we are looking for peace. This kind of barbaric act should be stopped and the person who committed such a crime by killing a colleague should face justice,” Ocheng said. “The person should account for what he has done. I am not sure whether the person was arrested.”
Ocheng appealed to the people to drink responsibly.