A relative of the deceased, Garang Deng, told this outlet that his brother, Ajiing Deng, was among three South Sudanese killed on Saturday when a suspect allegedly threw a grenade at a grinding mill where they were working.
“The report from my elder brother is that Ajiing was killed while at his duty station, where he grinds grains,” Deng said. “A Sudanese man opened a grenade on them, killing three people. The suspect is now being detained.”
The attack occurred in Muglad County, an area that has seen rising insecurity amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary groups.
Local reports indicate that South Sudanese nationals working in parts of Southern Kordofan and Darfur have increasingly become vulnerable to violence.
Majook-Yith-Thiou, a key border town linking South Sudan and Sudan, has long served as a trading hub for communities from both countries. However, residents say insecurity incidents—often unreported—have become frequent, particularly affecting traders and labourers who cross into Sudan for work.
Following the killing, the victim’s family said they had contacted local authorities in Majook-Yith-Thiou, including the town mayor, who advised them to pursue the matter through the area’s peace committee.
“We have been told that the best approach is to go to the peace committee so that the process of local justice, including blood compensation, can be handled,” Deng said.
Peace committee members in Majook-Yith-Thiou are now expected to document the case and coordinate with their counterparts across the border to facilitate compensation and prevent retaliatory violence.
Cross-border communities in the area often rely on traditional mechanisms such as blood compensation to resolve disputes and maintain fragile coexistence between South Sudanese residents and nomadic Arab groups operating along the border.
Despite these efforts, the worsening security situation in Sudan continues to pose serious risks. Authorities and community leaders have increasingly advised residents living along the border to limit movement, particularly into conflict-affected areas.
The latest killing underscores the precarious conditions faced by South Sudanese nationals seeking livelihoods in Sudan, as violence and instability continue to spill across communities tied by trade, culture, and geography.
