Federico Ufoo, 37, receiving treatment at Nagero PHCC after sustaining injuries during a wildlife-human conflict. Photo: Charles Peter Udoo

An Ethiopian diplomat is encouraging South Sudan’s parliament to ratify the Nile Basin Initiative and Cooperative Framework Agreement to enable the country to claim its share of the Nile water, including building its own dam.

Federico Dominic went hunting with a firearm that had only one bullet on Wednesday, July 19.

The lone hunter went to Zamoi forest, situated about 35 kilometres away from Nagero town.

Federico said he shot and injured the monkey with the only bullet in his gun, but the wild animal did not give up without a fight.

After running out of bullets, he approached the animal with his knife and attempted to stab it when the baboon attacked him back, breaking his wrist and biting one of his thighs.

Speaking to Eye Radio, the father of five said he is jobless and has no option but to go poaching to put food on the table for his family.

“The problem that made me go to the bush is because there is no food, and I also don’t have money to pay for my children’s school fees,” he said.

“My children have been chased away from school because of school fees, and we are buying food items in the market, and the livelihood here is challenging.”

“The livelihood is so difficult, no job which somebody can do to send his children to school so that is why we are going for hunting, fishing and for honey.”

“Now there is no honey and people are not fishing now so the only activity is to go for hunting because the livelihood is really difficult with us here.”

For his part, the Commissioner of Nagero County, Gabriel Nvolo warned the local population against hunting.

Commissioner Gabriel urges the local population to take precautionary measures when going to the bush.

“Nobody should try to go to the bush for hunting because hunting is very dangerous for the lives of human beings.”

“I always advise them hunting is not a good thing to be done because hunting sometimes somebody can lead to lose of life.”

According to reports, most cultures in South Sudan see hunting as a means of food, a situation that the Minister of Wildlife termed as ignorance and lack of public awareness on the economic importance of wild animals.