Boy, two adults wounded in hand grenade accident in Rumbek

By Manyang Mayom

February 3, 2009 (RUMBEK) – A hand grenade explosion seriously injured three people at the correctional services headquarters in Rumbek on Tuesday afternoon.

The victims include a boy who is 9 years old and a man of 28 years old plus a woman probably 56 years old.

According to an eyewitness, the incident took place when a small boy was pretending to play with the grenade. It exploded in his hand.

The boy is critically injured through his left eye and stomach plus his left arm while the other man suffered an injury to his left leg and the woman got seriously injured to her neck.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Lakes State Governor Lieutenant General Daniel Awet Akot flew on Tuesday afternoon to Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, to attend the meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau organized in Juba by the SPLM party.

The governor is also summoned to appear before the Southern Sudan Assembly to answer questions on insecurity and recent clashes in the state. Akot has been absent in Lakes state hosting a peace consultation in Yirol East county with three states that includes Warrrap, Lakes and Unity state.

At recent local peace consultations, participants estimated that 1,420 people died in the state in cattle rustling and inter-clan clashes from 2007-2008, and another 25 were killed already this year.

An official source said that the meeting of three state governors as part of this process brought out the right plan for disarmament for the people of Warrap, Lakes and Unity states before the end of this year. The disarmament is expected to reduce inter-tribal tension between Dinka and Nuer.

(ST)