A senior relief official in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State said he was beaten up by police in Aweil East County, accusing the county commissioner of involvement in the matter.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, Garang Kon, the deputy head of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), said he was beaten up by the police in Aweil East County on orders of the commissioner on Wednesday.
“I was delegated by the chairperson of the RRC with directives from acting governor Tong Lual Ayat to go to World Vision offices in Aweil East because there was a closing down of a World Vision project, and it was our mandate as RRC to go and receive the assets donated to RRC,” Kon said.
“Upon my arrival at World Vision compound, County Commissioner Kiir Yor Lual sent police forces, and they attacked me at World Vision compound. They started beating me up and destroyed my smartphone. I am now injured, I am suffering from backbone pain, neck pain and my ribs are hurting,” he added.
Kon said he had opened a court case against the senior police officer who was sent by the county commissioner.
When contacted to comment on the accusation, Aweil East County commissioner Kiir Yor Lual dismissed the claims, saying the police did not beat up the official. He, however, confirmed that there was a disagreement over the handing over of assets.
“The police force was sent to ask the official and not to do anything to him. Also, he was supposed to meet the county authorities first so that whatever he wanted could be settled in a meeting before he could go to the World Vision compound,” he said.
“When the security arrived at the compound, he took his phone to take photos of the police and in the process, the police asked him why he was doing that, and when the police tried to take the phone from him, the phone fell down and broke,” he explained.
The county commissioner said the relief official was not tortured.
Garang Kon was appointed as deputy head of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner in the state last year on the ticket of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).