Lopit village in Imehejek, Eastern Equatoria. (Photo: Courtesy).

A group of youth from Imehejek Administrative Area in Eastern Equatoria have buried alive a man they regard as a rainmaker and blame for dry spells affecting the region, authorities said, in the fifth such killing in four years.

Imehejek Chief Administrator Mathwe Oromo said they are investigating the incident which occurred on Wednesday while he was on an official visit to Kapoeta town.

Oromo said the youth accused the victim of failing to fulfil cultural obligations to provide solution to a dry spell that has failed harvest and afflicted the community with hunger.

“I got a phone call because I was on an official mission to Kapoeta from Imehejek Payam that the incident happened that the monyomiji of Imehejek Payam, Mohalele Boma, the Hobo-Hobo village, buried the rainmaker alive,” he told Eye Radio.

“The details behind that are not yet established. I’m still yet to establish some details about it and share. But the information is they buried their rainmaker alive.”

The administrator has promised to arrest culprits involved in the burying of a community member, saying they will he held accountable for their actions.

The incident brings the number of people seen as rainmakers killed in drought-hit Eastern Equatoria State to five between July 2021 and 2024 – a historic occurrence among communities in the area.

In 2021, a 43-year-old rainmaker was buried alive by a group of youth in Mura Lopit, Lafon County in Eastern Equatoria State.

In September 2022, A rainmaker identified as Augustino Molong was also killed by a mob, and his dead body was burned to ashes for allegedly failing to bring rain in Kideopo Valley in Ikotos County.

These were followed by the July 2023 killing of a 70-year-old man who was beaten by a mob for the same reason in Torit County.

A South Sudanese meteorologist narrated that rain is a natural occurrence and advised people to desist from believing in traditional rainmakers, adding that no one has the ability to make or block rain through magic.

Juma Ali Mohamad, the Head of the Weather Forecast Department at Juba International Airport stated that the only way to alter rainfall patterns is through a scientific process.