Jel Mangok Jel, a political advisor in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and one of the gubernatorial aspirants for a newly proposed Aweil state, has dismissed as propaganda by political rivals allegation that he abused an underage girl.

“This is nonsense,” he said. “I have not married any underage. Who said that? This is all but propaganda by people with a political agenda.”

Jel acknowledged he was interesting in becoming governor of Aweil state.

“If there were to be elections today, I would run and win,” he said. “But this time, it is the president who is going to appoint the governor. Because of this, people who have also shown their interest are trying to tarnish my name and political standing.”

Jel declined to name the people he thought were responsible for spreading the rumors. But several sources claimed in a series of exclusive interviews with Radio Tamazuj that he is refusing to address an issue that prompted a police investigation late last month.

A relative of a 15-year-old girl reported to the Sakadit police station that Jel had allegedly abused the girl, which would violate national law. The caretaker governor, Akot Deng Akot, allegedly asked for the investigation to be stopped.

“We were unable to move forward,” said a relative of the girl, who asked to remain anonymous. “We are not getting any feed from the caretaker governor. He was the one who persuaded us to drop this case form being a police case. He told us personally that he would take complete responsibility to ensure that it is a marriage.”

He said the family discovered Jel had allegedly abused the underage girl after she had difficulty moving. 

“We decided to take the lady to Jel’s home in Gateway after confirming that she was with him,” the relative said. “That time he was not home. He was outside the home in town. When he received the information, he denied and refused to talk to us. He threatened but his friends told him to not blow it for it would be a public knowledge and backfire on him. So he stopped threatening and refusing coming home.”

They then proceeded to the police station, which is where they claim to have received a phone call from the caretaker governor asking them to drop the case. They said there has been no further communication and the girl has now dropped out of school.