Relatives of two men handed over by authorities in Unity State to neighboring Warrap State are demanding their release and calling for an investigation into reports that the men were extrajudicially killed.
The men, identified as Biar Guek Nyuat and Chiok Riach Deng, were arrested Feb. 5 in Mayom County, Unity State, on suspicion of involvement in cattle raiding between Mayom and Twic counties.
Cattle raiding continues to drive intercommunal conflict between Twic and Mayom counties.
John Kang, an uncle of the two men from Unity State, told Radio Tamazuj Saturday that they were detained in Mayom for several days before being transferred to authorities in Warrap’s Twic Mayardit County. Bol said he later received information alleging the two were taken to Turalei and executed by firing squad.
“I strongly condemn the killing of our innocent brothers,” Kang said. “No family deserves to lose their children in such a way. We are calling for a transparent investigation and justice.”
Kang warned that a failure by state authorities to address the case could heighten tensions between communities already fractured by cattle-related violence.
Conflicting Accounts
The Commissioner of Mayom County, Jackson Mut Yien, confirmed to this publication that two men were handed over to authorities in Twic Mayardit County after being identified as residents of that area. The commissioner denied that the two men are residents of Unity State.
Mut said that when he took office, 15 people had been arrested by members of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces. Of those, two were identified as being from Twic County and were transferred.
“From our side, we did not hand them over to be killed,” Mut said. “We handed them over to be investigated by security personnel.”
However, Mamer Bath, the information minister in Warrap State, denied that any such transfer or execution occurred. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, Minister Bath dismissed the allegations as unfounded.
“There was no execution by firing squad by authorities in Twic County, and there was no handover of two men,” Baath said.
Allegations of extrajudicial killings linked to communal violence have been previously documented in Warrap State. The United Nations has reported multiple cases in recent years where suspected criminals were allegedly executed without trial after being taken from custody.