Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
December 7, 2010 (JUBA) — Unknown gunmen have shot dead a member of Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau (SSRB) in Nasir County of Upper Nile State, with less than a week to the end of voter’s registration.
Ben Utong Kong, who served as a referendum center official, was killed alongside his father over the weekend. The incident occurred in Mading Payam, Nasir County.
On Monday a condolence message posted on SSRB website, the southern referendum body said it was deeply saddened by Kong’s untimely death.
Aleu Garang Aleu, the SSRB spokesman, told Sudan Tribune that the cause of the incident has no connection with the deceased’s referendum registration assignment, saying it may have been “due to other issues”.
There was no official communication from the Upper Nile state referendum high committee officials as their spokespeople where unavailable for comment according to the SSRB.
Meanwhile, SSRB still maintains that registration is proceeding well and with a consistently high turnout for the plebiscite, which was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal between north and south.
As of December 5 2,807,060 voters have registered according to results from 91% of the registration. Registration, originally due to end on December 1, officially closes on December 8.
Central Equatoria state has recorded the highest number of registrants. Turn out among women was slow to begin with has improved tremendously according to officials.
There are 2,623 referendum registration centers in Southern Sudan and 165 in the north.
The south is widely expected to vote to secede from the north in the referendum due to take place on January 9.
(ST)
Omoni Atari
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
Very sad news,
my condolence and prayers to deceased family.
May almighty father who is heaven recieve your soul at the Right hand.
Brother Ben Utong R.I.P.
” Nasir county”? This remind me Nasir Gangsters faction of 1991. I hope they were not the one taking Ben’s life at the wrong time.
Omoni Atari,
Natinga, south sudan.
Deng E. Manyuon
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
Though it was not related to his SSRC’s official duty, the act itself is strongly disapproved and condemnable. Our people should not take law into their hands. Hopefully, the government of Upper Nile State will soon be able to catch the culprits and bring them in to justice.
My condolences to the grieved family for the lost ones.
Deng
Peter Nhiany
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
Very sad news indeed. My sympathy and heart felt to the family and friends of our brother Utong Kong. I’m maddly agitated by such evil act from our people who have no conscience for. Why is okay to kill your own brother than to kill your enemy. This is pathetic. I hope local authorities of Nasir will apprehend the murderer to answer questions of his insane evilish action. Peace to the people of Nasir and God’s comfort and blessing to the family to the family of Utong. My prayers to all the relatives of the deceased.
Peter Nhiany.
Bol Deng
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
South Sudanese,
The mentality of killing each other while leaving jallaba behind is another sign of weakness. The killing has happened in Jonglei state- Lou Nuer area and now in Upper Nile-Nuer area. What are can you guys get from pulling Southerners from success when they are at the edge of secceding. You are you eliminating those who can help us from subjugation. It’s very well understood that primitive is the high value for those guys out there. Get out from that primitiveness because civilization is what served you as human being.
BOR.
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
My condolences to our lovely brother Utong Kong’s family.
This inhuman killing must be punished with stern law even if it mean hunging this killer.
Our people should know that there are many avenues to settle any dispute rather than taking away the lives.
Rest in peace!
Lokeji
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
The cuLture of violence is one of the elements that will threatens the life of the new independence state.secondly the presence of guns in the hands of civilians in the southern states is also another thread which need strong reaction from goss interior ministry.
It’s enought that the government should enforce law and order in the southern sudan, not to let innocence masses in the mercy of those who takes law into their hands every time.This kind of scenariors has become common in the southern sudan, ever within SPLA force.There are those who sometimes takes the law in to their hands, like want happened in yei where an army decided to gun down a number of people and this kind of acts keep on repeating themselves without any measures or precautions take from the ministry of interior for the protection of the public security.
The ministry of SPLA affair have to enforce tought disciplin within the spla force in order for them to be a qualify people to protect and defend the sovereighty of the new emerging state.It’s the role of the government to provide public security for every one and every tribe and not the other way round.
Haak
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
very sad news…………to all southern sudanese community atlarge
may the soul rest in enternal peace
thanks
Aleu
Referendum center official shot dead in Upper Nile state
It is very hard to tell why such a dog people are killing the man who want to help them from Arab ruler government.
Our society need to be change particular, in Nuer communities have been teach on how to kill people as a way of showing braver but in reality that is primitiveness. Why Nasir county people kill Ben Utong Kong during the time that, Southern Sudanese a single one person to be present. Is there any benefit Nasir county get when they killed William Nyoun Bany in Nasir.? I think that county would be unatouchable in Southern Sudan.
I would urgently GOSS after referendum election to started putting all Nuers parents and young people in the schools so that, they will have to learn on how they become social persons and the Idea is to let them guide their children properly not to teach their kids on how they will kill any body in community even when they are in conflicts with others from different tribes it doesn’t matter, we are all Southern Sudanese people. I like the way Dinka parents teaching their kids on how to respect any person above you or your agemate for that matter unlikely to Nuer’s parents when a father teach his boy to become very mean, too rude and this is why most people in Nuer don’t get along with others societies in Southern Sudan but we need to change that culture this is bad.
I am totally saddened when we miss our person like this wonderful man Ben Utong Kong who offering himself to reaching registration to his people and he don’t know that there are evil people who felt jalously and want to destroying his life like that, may God put his soul to his righ side and blessing his family.