Two brothers have shot and killed each other during a dispute over ownership of a goat in Rumbek North County, Lakes State, according to a family elder.
The incident happened on Thursday after the brothers exchanged gunfire during an argument, Santino Adong Keloktuol, a former state minister for culture, youth and sports and a relative of the men, told Radio Tamazuj.
Adong said the brothers had previously disagreed over a cow, but the dispute was resolved by family members and elders without anyone being injured.
Under the agreement, the elder brother was to give the cow to his younger brother, while the younger brother agreed to compensate him with a goat.
Adong said the dispute resurfaced when the elder brother went to ask his younger brother for the goat.
He said the younger brother then opened fire, seriously wounding his elder brother, who returned fire. Both men died at the scene.
Adong rejected claims that the confrontation was linked to a dispute over the inheritance of their late brother’s widow.
Daniel Laat, the Lakes State coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), condemned the incident and urged families and communities to resolve disputes through dialogue.
“Whenever you have a dispute with your brother over something, there is a need to report it to the family members or the community so that dialogue can be organised,” he said.
Laat said disputes over property should not escalate into violence, urging young people in particular to seek mediation from family elders and community leaders.
He also called on the government to investigate the incident and prevent the dispute from spreading to other family members.
“We are calling for calm and urging the government to handle such cases and ensure that other people do not do the same,” he said.
Laat said similar disputes had led to violence among relatives in Lakes State, adding that family and community dialogue could help prevent such incidents.
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