Lakes state’s Agangrial residents flee their homes as teacher got killed
By Manyang Mayom
July 3, 2010 (RUMBEK) – Thousands of residents of Agangrial village of Cueibet County in Lakes state have fled their homes for fear of reprisal after killing of a missionary school teacher in the area on Wednesday during a suspected criminal act of robbery.
Simon Lai, a seminarian who works for the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, the state capital, explained that the killing of the teacher of Agangrial Comboni School resulted to high degree of fear, probably for revenge, among the people. “Our teacher was killed while travelling back from Rumbek to Agangrial; on his way back home he was killed by robbers.
The killing of this teacher has caused fear within our missionary school and the community of Agangrial,” he said, adding that many people also sought refuge at the mission compound, deserting their homes.
They have no food and clean drinking water, he explained, adding that during their escape a number of people missed their children in the bushes.
“At the present now in Agangrial, people are not in good mood,” adding among the people he stayed with there were signals of fear.
“Since people are deserting their homes, most affected are children and women as well as elderly people,” he added. The seminarian described the people behind the attacks as “thieves””who are after material property. They appealed to the government to intervene and send security forces to the forests to search for the “thieves.”
The Seminarian also appealed to the public to respect life, describing it as sacred and that no one has the right to take away the life of another person and not even his or her own life.
Cases of insecurity in four counties of Lakes State, Cueibet County included, had been discussed at a just concluded peace conference in Rumbek that aimed at ensuring reconciliation and peaceful co-existence among the people in the state.
(ST)