Yirol West gun dealer escapes and is recaptured

By Manyang Mayom

March 3, 2009 (RUMBEK) – A gun dealer who was captured last month in Yirol West County has escaped out of prison from the hand of local police but he was recaptured in his hometown of Anuol and he is now again locked up in jail.

The dealer had been captured in February in the payam of Anuol, a distance of 34 miles from Yirol town, while selling out ten guns, of which all were type AK-47, in addition to three boxes of bullets. While small arms are widespread in Southern Sudan, the government has undertaken various civilian disarmament campaigns, both forcible and voluntary.

“Nobody has tortured the gun dealer,” said the commissioner of Yirol West County, Agok Manyiel Dhieu. “We don’t tortured people in our prisons but some source said that the gun dealer man was tortured.”

Meanwhile, Dhieu acknowledged that 255 cows were seized from two culprits accused of having a hand in killing people, the official said on Friday. The 255 cows are now under control of police at Ngop payam police station under policeman Joseph Mading.

Nowadays, suspected cattle raiders await a special court to pursue the case; last year Lakes State Governor Daniel Awet Akot issued a provisional order that all bloodshed compensations will be compensated at the price of 51 cows, a higher figure than the traditional Dinka requirement of 31 cows. “Now we are executing the orders according to the laws,” said Commissioner Agok Manyiel Dhieu.

The Lakes state high court of appeal, presided over by John Clement, is expected to okay the appeal of Commissioner Dhieu for the formation of a special court for Yirol West County within a few months to come, which would be composed of five men that include the Yirol West County Paramount Chief, Madit Maker, as chairman plus his four members to undertake the problems of cattle theft and murder.

The commissioner said inter-clan fighting in Anuol Payam has killed 12 people in the last month despite that 139 people were reported killed in 2008. “We need to speed up with formation of the special court so that bloodshed compensations are done to avoid more revenge and more inter-clan speculation fighting in the county,” he said.

“We are putting into action the provisional order of Lakes state Governor Lieutenant General, Daniel Awet Akot, to compensate bloodshed of murder with 51 cows; we are now since seven months executing this temporary order of the governor,” said Manyiel.

(ST)