A fight between two youths, Kuctiel Mangar Atot, who retails items using a wheelbarrow and a motorcycle taxi (boda-boda) rider identified only as Amuor, in Rumbek Market in Sate’s Rumbek Central County, left both of them severely injured and admitted to the hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, the fight erupted on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. after the boda-boda rider knocked over a wheelbarrow, leading to a physical altercation and affray that was joined by other youths who were using sticks and stones to fight.
Martin Dut Kedit, the police officer in charge of Rumbek Market, told Radio Tamazuj that the fighting and resultant commotion led to panic and people fleeing the market.
“Both of them were brought to Rumbek Police Station to receive Form (8) for treatment at Rumbek State Hospital. Mangar was badly injured on the head while Amuor got bruises on his body and head. This fighting made people flee and desert the market,” he explained. “The police are waiting for the Form 8 from the hospital to finish the investigations over the cause of the fighting before the two are sent to court for trial.”
Meanwhile, Elijah Anau Mading, a relative of one of the victims, confirmed that he took him to the hospital after the fight.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), I was called after the fight in which my in-law was injured and took him to the police station for Form 8 and then to the hospital for surgery. The youth engaged in a fight with wooden sticks, stones, and fists, but they were not gangsters,” he explained. “The cause of this fight was that a boda-boda rider knocked down the wheelbarrow, which contained items for sale. When the brother of the person whose wheelbarrow was knocked down went and asked the rider why he had knocked down his brother, the rider took a wooden stick and hit him. That is when the fight started, and other youth joined in.”
He said the boda-boda rider and wheelbarrow owner were the only ones who were seriously injured and that the other youths ran away.