Teachers Union condemn killing of two colleagues in Rumbek

August 3, 2013 (RUMBEK) – The South Sudan National Teachers Professional Union (NTPU) has condemned last week’s murder of two teachers in Rumbek East County in Lakes State.

The teachers, Dut Makur Temthok, a headmaster of the local Mathiang primary school, and Malual Mayom Ayuop, a teacher at the same school were murdered on Tuesday last week during an inter-communal revenge attack between pastoralist youth from Pamany, a sub-section of the Kok Dinka tribe.

Kachuol Majuong Kachuol, Chairman of the South Sudan Teachers Professional Union on Thursday condemned the murder and equated it to fighting South Sudan.

“If you kill a teacher, you are fighting the nation,’’ said Majuong.

Majuong called upon Lakes authorities to apprehend the suspect(s) in the murder of the teachers.

‘‘I appeal to the Lakes state government to arrest the suspect(s) and produce them before court. If the perpetrators are not arrested, this will not make us [teachers] happy, but they should face the court.’’

The Chairman of the teachers union appealed to the Lakes state government to urgently reform the justice system and to forward all pending cases before the courts of law in order to win the confidence of those affected by the inter communal violence.

Lakes state government introduced tough security measures after the removable of elected Governor Chol Tong Mayay in February, replacing him with military caretaker Governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol.

Consequently Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol, ordered the mass arrest of members of the Kok Dinka tribe. A total of 50 people from the Pathoth and Pamany sub-sections were detained in Langcok military prison, although no formal charges were brought against them.

Rumbek has been the scene of a violent cycle of revenge attacks, fueled by an ineffective justice system.

(ST)