According to Thiik Agoth, the local police inspector in Luony-Aker, the suspects — identified as Wol Mathiang and Madut Deng — were drinking with the woman before allegedly taking advantage of her condition after she became intoxicated.
Speaking to this publication on Wednesday evening, Inspector Agoth said the suspects have confessed during initial police interrogations.
“These two men admitted they were drinking with the woman,” he said. “She left the pub alone, and one of the men followed and waylaid her. After he had sexual intercourse with her, the second suspect did the same. They claimed the act was consensual, but we are investigating the validity of that statement given the woman’s state.”
The rape survivor, whose identity is being withheld for her safety and dignity, is currently receiving treatment at Luony-Aker Primary Health Care Centre.
Inspector Agoth confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be arraigned in court once all evidence is reviewed. He stressed that rape is a serious criminal offense under South Sudanese law and will be prosecuted accordingly.
He also urged the public to respect the dignity of women and girls and to refrain from inhumane acts. “Such incidents are unacceptable and punishable by law. We call on communities to stand against sexual violence in all forms,” Agoth added.
Rape and sexual violence in South Sudan are widespread and deeply entrenched, particularly in conflict-affected areas where they are often used as weapons of war and tools of oppression.
The rape case in Gogrial East County is not an isolated incident. South Sudan faces one of the most severe crises of sexual violence in the world, according to United Nations agencies, including widespread rape, especially in conflict-affected areas.
Rape has been described by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan as “a pattern of systematic, terrifically brutal crimes that have been documented, often used as tools of war and social coercion.”
Numerous reports by the other UN agencies also documented horrific patterns of gang rape, sexual slavery, and other forms of abuse committed by government forces, rebel groups, and community militias.
