The government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State on Saturday deported a Sudanese community leader in the state as demanded by local youth groups in a petition to the government last Friday, local officials confirmed.

According to the state government, local communities blamed the now expelled Nurain Yosif for making hostile statements after an incident where a 6-year-old child was defiled and subsequently murdered by a Sudanese trader on 3 May in the Ayaung residential area of Aweil town. The youth groups also called for the 3 Sudanese suspects in detention for the gruesome crimes to be tried expeditiously.

The Northern Bahr el Ghazal State information minister, William Anyuon Kuol, told Radio Tamazuj Sunday that Yosif had been deported to the Sudanese Embassy in Juba.

“Nurain (Yosif), the chairperson of the Sudanese community in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, has been deported to the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Juba. He was yesterday (Saturday) taken to Wau and by today (Sunday) he proceeds to juba escorted by our security personnel,” he said.

Minister Anyuon said Yosif made a reckless statement that the angered youth of Aweil town just wanted to rob traders’ goods when the story of the defilement and murder of the child made rounds in the town.

“You know when that incident happened, he (Yosif) just released a statement that was aggressive by saying that these people (angry youth) were looking to loot food items in the market and did not intend to protest against what happened,” he added.

According to the minister, the Sudanese community leader apologized but was forced to leave the area because he did not condemn the crime on time.

Traditional authorities in Aweil endorsed the expulsion of Yosif until the case is resolved amicably.

“We have agreed to his (Yosif’s) deportation until the case ends and we will see what will happen next,” Chief Lual Lual Bak of the Deng Nhial residential area in Aweil town said.  “You cannot fuel the conflict with illogical statements, it is not right.”

A Sudanese resident of Aweil who preferred anonymity confirmed that Yosif had been taken to Juba and said that all Sudanese nationals living in the State are safe.

“We (Sudanese) are okay in Aweil and everything is good except the incident that happened. It is unnatural for such a thing to take place in Aweil.  We have never witnessed such crime since we came to Aweil for the last 12 years,” he said.