A 19-year-old girl, who was a primary eight student at Gwerekek Primary School, was tragically gang-raped and murdered by unknown assailants in the Molobur area of Jebel Lado Payam, Juba County, on Tuesday.
Lilian Henry Musa Dion was among the candidates sitting the ongoing Primary Leaving examinations.
The rape and murder of the 19-year-old girl has sparked an outcry in South Sudan, with human rights activists demanding justice for the victim.
According to her uncle, Edward Dion, who is also a member of the Central Equatoria State legislative assembly representing Lado East Payam, Lilian had stepped just a few meters away from the school compound to take a phone call when she was assaulted and killed.
“She was sitting for primary eight examinations,” Edward told Radio Tamazuj, emphasizing the shock of the community over this heinous act.
“Witnesses reported that at around 8 PM, while engaged in revision with her classmates, Lilian received a phone call and moved to a nearby area next to the washroom,” Edward said.
“It was there that she was allegedly assaulted and hanged by suspected land grabbers. A medical report confirmed that she had been gang-raped before her death,” he added.
Following this tragedy, Juba County Commissioner Eng. Emmanuel Tete Ezbon vowed to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and promised to dismantle the gangs terrorizing property owners in Jebel Lado.
Lorna Merekaje, a renowned women’s rights activist, condemned the brutal crime and urged authorities to thoroughly investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The girl child is a human being and has rights like any other individual,” Merekaje stated, calling for an earnest investigation into the case.
In South Sudan, murder is covered under Section 206 of the Penal Code Act of 2008. The death penalty is provided for in the 2008 Penal Code for several crimes, including murder.