Category: States

States

MoH refutes claims of dead bodies in Malakal inpatients ward

The National Minister of Health has labeled as untrue reports that lack of mortuaries at Malakal Teaching Hospital in Upper Nile State has forced health workers to keep dead bodies with inpatients in the same wards.

Early this week, a senior official in the state hospital said they have no choice but to keep dead bodies in the same room with inpatients after the only mortuary was destroyed during the civil war.

Dr Nyango Adwok who is the acting Director General of the hospital said the health facility receives about 100 outpatients a day and admits about 20 patients daily who get to be mixed up with dead bodies.

But in an interview with Eye Radio Wednesday, Minister Yolanda Awel Deng refuted the claims adding that it is against the ethical perspective of the health sector.

“So what they are saying is that dead bodies and patients are being mixed is not true. Do you know why I am saying that? Because from a health perspective, we have respect for the dead bodies and the living,” Dr. Awel told Eye Radio.

She also said there are indeed separate rooms designated for corpses before being taken for burial.
“There is no way you would mix the two. We have a room that is allocated for dead bodies as they wait to be buried. It is not a mortuary but it is a room.”

As we know, our resources are very limited, even here in Juba, the two mortuaries we have are overwhelmed because the population is growing and the facilities and infrastructures are the same ones we had before independence,” Yolanda defended.

Asked about the mortuary in Juba, the Minister admitted that the facility at Juba teaching hospital is overwhelmed due to a limited space and the growing population in the city.

The challenge, according to Yolanda, will be addressed upon the completion of the ongoing construction of another mortuary adjacent to the UN house along Yei road.

“In Juba, we are building a big mortuary along Yei road near UNMISS around the POC. We are trying our level best to build the best mortuary with proper supply of electricity for fridges to keep the dead bodies.”

Awel also said plans are underway to construct mortuaries at the referral hospitals of Malakal, Wau and Kiir Mayardit Maternal Hospital.

In March this year, Minister Yolanda Awel was appointed as a successor to Elizabeth Achuei Yol who served during the pandemic.

Adil, Lobong demand enactment of laws to regulate cattle keepers.

The governors of Eastern and Central Equatoria have recommended the enactment of a legal framework to regulate the movement of cattle keepers in the states.

Governor Emmanuel Adil and Louis Lobong made the appeal during questioning by the Council of States to explain insecurity related to herders in the region on Wednesday .

Responding to inquiries by the lawmakers, Governor Louis Lobong of Eastern Equatoria State suggested the need to enact laws to address the frictions between farmers and the pastoralists.

“In order to avoid clashes between cattle keepers and the predominantly farming communities as well as between different cattle keeping communities, there is a need to establish a legal framework to guide the movement of cattle in South Sudan,” he said.

He also emphasized on the need to strengthen law enforcement agencies for effective curtailing of conflict situations in the states.

“The organized forces in the States are poorly equipped. They lack the logistics needed for robust and effective interventions. Therefore I plead with you to lobby for a security fund to be allocated to the States to help them equip and prepare the organized forces for urgent response to security situations,” Governor Lobong stated.

Tensions have reportedly continued following the incidents between cattle keepers and the host communities.

Last week, herders and the host communities clashed in the areas of Abara, Ayii, Kit and Agoro-Somboro in Magwi County leaving scores dead and hundreds of others displaced.

“The presence of such laws and proper sensitization of our citizens will be of great importance in preventing clashes between different communities,” Lobong added.

For his part, Emmanuel Adil Anthony who is the governor of Central Equatoria state echoed the remarks of Louise Lobong.

‘The enactment of laws to regulate the movement of cattle across the State is one of the steps we believe will significantly mitigate the recurring cattle related conflicts.”

Adil said the security forces need logistical support to help particularly in the evacuation of the herders and to regulate the movement of the herders.

“Inadequate financial support from the national government to provide logistics for the forces engaged in the cattle evacuation exercise.”

Conflict between farmers and cattle keepers in some parts of the Equatoria region remains a major security concern.

In the recent years, there have been reports of cattle grazing uncontrollably on farmlands, destroying precious food crops cultivated by settled communities in areas like Pageri, Abara, Agoro, Omeyo, Ayii, Nyolo, and parts of western Torit County.

This is in defiance of a 2015 order by President Salva Kiir for the evacuation of cattle from the Equatoria region.

A committee was set up to ensure that the animals were returned to their respective states, but these have not been implemented due to unclear reasons.

When asked why the presidential orders for the evacuation of cattle from the Equatoria region were not effected, the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjaminhe argued that the two orders were implemented.

“Honorable Speaker, my answer is, they have been implemented. Whether they have followed up to the right conclusions is another thing but the implementation was there and I gave you one example of one of our citizens who responded to the order and took his cattle where they should be,” he said.

Marial also concurred with the governors’ call for laws regulating movement of cattle in designated farmlands.

However, on Monday, authorities of Mugali Payam in Eastern Equatoria’s Magwi County decried displacement of the natives due continued harassment allegedly by herders in the area.  

Cattle keepers, the local authorities described as “Illegal IDPs”, allegedly attacked Avumadrici area, allegedly abducting and raping a 13-year old girl last week.

In a written statement, the area leaders said residents are still experiencing unprecedented violence including looting of their properties.

They noted that the settlers went on rampage immediately after the recent visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Dau, and UN agencies to the area.

 

Aweil police officer detained for shooting wife

Police in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal state have Wednesday detained an officer for shooting and injuring his wife in Aweil town

52- years-old Samuel Yuot Yuot, a Warrant Officer is accused of domestic violence, according to Captain Guot Guot Akol, the state police spokesperson.

“The incident happened at 7am Wednesday at Muduria Junction.The accused is a police warrant officer by the name Samuel Yuot Yuot.He shot his wife, Abuk Akeen Tong on her right leg,” Captain Guot said.

Abuk Akeen Tong, 28-years- old was on her way to a workplace when her husband shot her. Suspect Yout’s motive to shoot Akeek is unclear.

Captain Guot said Yuot Wife has filed a case against the husband in the police and has been charged with injuring his wife.

“No one is above the law. Pointing a gun against innocent citizens is against our police regulation and it’s unprofessional in nature.”
   
Injured Abuk Akeen is receiving treatment at the Aweil Civil Hospital.

“On the behalf of the police, I apologized for this unfortunate incident,” Captain Guot added.

Family of teenager slain along Warrap, Abyei road demands justice

The family of a teenage boy who was kidnapped and killed by armed men along Warrap-Abyei road on Sunday is calling for justice.

14-year- old Deng Kuol Duper was reportedly killed by kidnappers after a-200,000 pounds ransom was paid for his release.

According to his father, Kuol Duper Malok, Deng was traveling to Abyei from Warap when they felt into an ambush last week.

Malok said the unidentified armed men then abducted his son and other boys including their driver at Madau area along the border between Warap and Abyei.

The captors reportedly phoned his mother on Sunday and demanded for a ransom in order to free him.
Kuol said he paid the money, but his son got killed.

“He was a young child who is unaware of the problems that are the country is facing. He had just completed his primary exams,” he said.

According to him, the son’s body was discovered on Monday by the military in the area after they reported the case.
Kuol Duper Malok said he wants nothing else, but justice to his deceased son.

”I am requesting to the government to arrest these criminals and punish them according to the law so that no one else repeats this act,”

“I gave birth to this child for the sake of this country and I am sure that if he had lived, he would have had something to do in this country, not for me.”

In recent years, Eye Radio reported several incidents of kidnapping in the country.

The latest incident is the third case since 2020 when some armed men demanded 9 million South Sudanese Pounds after killing two traders and kidnapping others along the Juba-Nimule highway.

In December, 2019 a soldier and two civilians who were allegedly kidnapped by Congolese army in Gbudue State after their family paid a ransom of $ 1,600.

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