Police in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have detained a man accused of sexually assaulting the woman who beheaded her child in Awiel at the weekend.

On Saturday, Achut Kon Deng, 25, decapitated her baby and dumped the body at a graveyard at Maper residential area.

When interrogated by police, Ms Kon claimed she killed her baby because she conceived after being sexually attacked by Marko Aguer Deng Aguer, 30.

The police then arrested the man suspected of raping her.

“The suspect confessed that they had been friends for quite a long time,” Capt. Guot Akol told Eye Radio.

“He [Aguer] confirmed that they met but she never told her about the pregnancy. So both of them are under investigation.”

Capt. Akol could not, however, reveal the identity of the man, arguing that investigation is still ongoing.

Police say this is the third incident they have registered in the state since 2020.