According to Santino Bol Dut, the Boma Administrator of Lieth in Madhol Payam, the suspect — identified as Garang Deng Mathiang — allegedly shot dead trader Yai Chuor Chuor while he was travelling from Majok Yithiou, a border town near Sudan, to Wanyjok to buy goods.
Bol said Deng was apprehended after residents and local authorities tracked him down. The suspect is accused of killing Chuor in the middle of a forest along the highway at Mayom-Rok and stealing 3.5 million South Sudanese Pounds from him. His alleged accomplice fled the scene and remains at large.
A video seen by this publication shows Deng admitting during a brief interrogation that he and his accomplice had earlier attempted to rob two other people without success before encountering Chuor.
“We were two. When this young man came, I stopped him, but he resisted and tried to grab my weapon. I refused, shot him, and took the money. After he fell, my friend ran away, and I left with the money,” Deng said.
He revealed that the firearm used in the attack belonged to his father in Twic County, Warrap State, and that he had recently returned from Sudan.
Bol said Deng is currently being held at Wanyjok prison and will face court to explain his actions.
Residents of Aweil East say robberies have been on the rise in recent weeks, which they attribute to worsening hunger. Some accuse individuals from neighbouring states of moving into the area due to its relative peace, with calls for the government to evict people whose identities are unknown.
Last week, youth in the area reported that a vehicle stolen by a young man from a neighbouring state was recovered after security forces were alerted.
It remains unclear how the state government plans to curb the growing wave of robberies, which many residents say is linked to the current hunger gap.
