Wulu chief arrested for withholding information

August 14, 2014 (RUMBEK) – Authorities in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan’s Lakes state, have arrested executive chief Agok Deng Manyon.

Manyon was detained on Tuesday for having refused to share information with security agents on the whereabouts of suspects in the killing of Athoi regional paramount chief Apereer Chut Dhuol, who was shot dead by an unknown gunman on 5 August.

The chief is reported to have been “tortured and humiliated” by security forces, who were conducting a search for the suspected assailants, believed to be in hiding in Wulu county.

Schools have been closed temporarily in Rumbek East county, as revenge attacks in response to the paramount chief’s killing spiral out of control.

The state’s education minister, Dut Makoi Kuok, says youth vandalised four primary schools in Pachong payam (district), forcing more than 3,000 students to flee to Rumbek town.

Kuok says the attackers appeared to be looking for students to kill in retaliation for the chief’s murder.

“They were looking for grown up children to kill because of the killing of the paramount chief. We closed down CueiChok Primary School and Maleng-Agok Primary School, with [student] populations of more than 1,700 children,” he said.

The Panbakou and Gorok primary schools, which have a population of 600 and 700 pupils respectively, have also been closed, with benches, textbooks and exercise books also vandalised in Gorok.

Dhuol, who is from the Gonyi section, was the elder brother of the state’s military caretaker governor.

Radio Miraya has reported that mass rapes and lootings are being carried out in various Rumbek East communities apparently in revenge for his killing.

(ST)