An SSPDF officer shot a 20-year-old man dead in Oguruny Village, Torit County in Eastern Equatoria State on Wednesday.
According to Galileo Ohide, the Paramount Chief of Hiyalla Payam, the yet to be identified senior officer and the deceased only identified as Amahu, had a drunken altercation and decided to pick guns and fight each other.
He said that the deceased made jokes about and disparaged the officer while they were imbibing.
“They were fighting and that is where Amahu was shot dead in Oguruny. It was a result of a quarrel. They were arguing and the deceased said the officer’s home was attacked and his daughter was killed and this humiliated the soldier,” Chief Ohide explained. “They both dared each other to pick guns and fight. When people tried to intervene, the officer started shooting at them and they scampered.”
He added: “The deceased was called Amahu, 20, and the person who killed him is our age mate, 48 years old.”
Risio Otida, the Sub-chief of Loguruny village told Radio Tamazuj that the killer is a high-ranking officer who is well-armed and with a posse of bodyguards, making it difficult for the locals to arrest him. He said he was worried that the situation will escalate to cyclic revenge if not handled.
“The issue of arresting the perpetrator, someone who is holding a gun, for us we do not have soldiers like him. He may shoot people, that is why we are not able to arrest him,” Chief Otida lamented. “This is what was discussed yesterday and we told the relatives of the deceased to report their problem to the chief and we shall still talk to him (officer) to surrender himself to the local authority.”
For his part, Marko Lokidor, the minister of peacebuilding in the state called on the communities to desist from killing and embrace peace and said the government is set to launch a disarmament program.
“The government at the state level is trying to come up with a universal disarmament program and it takes time because we have to start with sensitizing the communities,” Minister Lokidor said. “Disarmament will take place but then we need to create awareness. Education is the most important so that they understand.