Local administer killed in South Sudan’s Lakes state

July 31, 2015 (RUMBEK) – South Sudanese authorities in the country’s central state of Lakes have confirmed on Friday that a senior payam [sub-district] administrator was killed by an unknown gunman in Yirol East county, east of the state capital, Rumbek.

A senior officer from the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Sudan Tribune that that Gabriel Makou Mayek, administrator of Pagarou payam was shot dead by the assailant after his attempts to convince the youth to return hundreds of heads of cattle they recently looted during clashes between rival sections of the Dinka ethnic group inhabiting the state.

Last week lakes state government under the governorship of the military caretaker governor, Matur Chut Dhuol, instructed local administrators to identity looted cows of Rumbek East county to be returned to their rightful owners. The order was however being disobeyed by members of the armed youth.

“A person with AK47 entered into payam administrator’s office and killed administrator Gabriel Makou Mayek and another person left with critical gunshot wound,” said senior police officer who requested anonymity.

He said majority of citizens in Lakes state were becoming uncooperative with the state government and they openly refused to share security information with the government.

“Sincerely up to now we have not captured the suspect who killed the payam administrator because public refused to tell us any person they suspected. If you ask any person whether they had information they say ask governor Matur Chut to tell you who is responsible,” he narrated.

In a separate development, the route linking the state capital, Rumbek town, with its neighbouring counties of Rumbek North, Cueibet, Rumbek East and Wulu have remained closed due to high insecurity threats that resulted in unknown gunmen killing at least person this week.

Caretaker governor Matur Chut Dhuol appeared in Juba airport on Thursday and told reporters that Rumbek was clam, a comment which was publicly criticized by those who followed the insecurity events in the state which is the most affected in the whole country in terms in inter-communal violence.

Several calls from Lakes state public demanding caretaker governor Matur Chut Dhuol to be removed from for failure to arrest the violence have been overlooked by president Salva Kiir, who appointed the caretaker governor since 2013

(ST)