A soldier belonging to the Wounded Heroes Unit in Ikotos county of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state accidentally killed his wife on Tuesday morning during a domestic quarrel.
Residents in the area say the couple had a small misunderstanding which turned violent and led to the death of the woman. They say the man threw a forceful punch at the woman, who later succumbed to her injuries.
Police chief inspector in Ikotos county Mathew Ochan Jacob told Radio Tamazuj that the soldier is in custody.
“We got information that one private from the Wounded Heroes called Claudio Lopwanya, 56 years old, punched his wife until she died. The late is called Angelina Idwa and this incident happened at around 9 am but the suspect reported himself at around 1 pm," he said.
He said that the couple seemingly quarreled over food after a night of heavy drinking. The man is said to have become angry after the woman jokingly answered that he was disturbing her, leading to the fatal blow.
“He is now in custody. We are currently investigating him so that he is forwarded to court, this killing is not a joke,” Ochan added as he warned the people in Ikotos to avoid taking the law into their hands.
Moring Rebecca the chairperson for the peace committee at St. Mathew Parish of the Catholic Diocese of Torit expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident and urged families to maintain love and peace, saying misunderstandings could lead to regret.
The Executive Director for Women's Agency for Progress Organization (WAPO) Flora Sebit worries that children end up as victims in such situations.
“The truth is that if there are children in that family they will be in problem and victims because their growth will be unpredictable. This will affect their education and growth," Flora said.
She urged authorities to ensure the culprit is punished and the law is implemented unless their children forgive him.