Authorities in Heiban in the Nuba Mountains are calling on people to remain calm after police shot dead a man who was allegedly resisting arrest at Uru village on Wednesday morning.
Police sought to arrest the man identified as Kodi Kadira for refusing to pay a fine imposed by a local court because his son and cattle had allegedly eaten a neighbour’s mangoes
The police were sent to arrest Kodi and found him at his cattle byre. He resisted arrest, according to one of the police, saying the man tried to run away and they chased him. They told him to stop but in the process he picked up a knife and tried to stab one of the police, a witness claimed.
He was shot and died on the spot.
The case has been reported to the Heiban police station. Meanwhile, the Uru community were angered by the incident. A group of armed young men from the community afterwards beat several people in nearby farms, all of them from the Toro community, including a boy aged 12 who was seriously hurt.
SPLA-N authorities and local authorities tried to control the situation. On Thursday they held urgent meetings with both Toro and Uru communities in separate locations.
SPLA-N commander of Heiban sector Nimary Marat said that SPLA-N discourages tribalism and he mentioned that Karga and Uru communities are like one family, so crime should be considered an individual matter. He added that the killer will face the law and those who beat others due to anger will also face the law. He urged all communities to remain calm and told community leaders to keep order.
Marat further blamed the slain Kodi as a person who did not respect the the law in the community, while adding that the law does not allow killing. He urged police not to deal with soldiers directly because they do not know the law. Notably, the slain man was a soldier.
In the same meeting Heiban Commissioner Mubarak Bolis said when such incidents happen people become tense especially when such cases occur between two different communities. He went on to say that people around the area should not go to the farms until proper security is maintained.
He condemned the incident and urged the community that a crime is the responsibility of an individual so people should not involve themselves whenever there is such a case, but just let the law take its course.