Unity relief commission withdraws staff after murder of Guit coordinator
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
August 17, 2013 (BENTIU) – The director of Unity State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission William Kuol Geng has said two staff of the commission have been withdrawn from Guit County after the murder of their colleague on Wednesday.
Geng said James Makuey Gai, a senior coordinator of the commission was murdered by a group of unknown people as he walked to office.
It was the second time a staff of the rehabilitation commission was being murdered in Guit. In 2007, an officer who held the same post as the late James Makuey was also killed.
The killing of the commission staff has led to rising tension in Guit in the last two days.
William Kuol Geng told the Sudan Tribune on Friday that he had withdrawn his two staff for safety reasons after the incident.
“The staffs are not protected because in the year 2007 there was comrade Jinub who was also killed. So I see that people of Guit, they are not valuing the staffs of state relief and rehabilitation commission,’’ Geng said.
Geng called on officials in state and Guit County to find ways of minimizing reoccurrences of such murder incidents.
Geng expressed fears that the murder of James Makuey could lead to reprisal attacks from his family on those suspected to have committed the murder.
“Everybody in Guit County is now a target [for reprisal attacks] even the Guit officials who are here because we don’t know what the relative of Makuey are thinking, ‘said Geng.
William Kuol Geng urged the remaining officials in the county to take safety precautions and work closely with the authorities in investigating the murder of Makuey for his family to get justice.
Jiel Dador Ruea, the deputy director of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, one of those withdrawn said they were evacuated because they feared for their life.
“We were relocated because we are also fearing for our lives,’’ said Jiel Dador Ruea.
A week after being appointed as the new Commissioner for Guit, Gai Chol Chuol, told members of parliament that he was negotiating with the state for an additional 60 policemen to reinforce the existing numbers in order to address law and order challenges such as retaliatory attacks in the county.
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