Police in Yirol West County of Lakes State have reported an incident where a woman committed suicide in the bush.

The area’s Police Chief Inspector Bol Duany told Radio Tamazuj that a 25-year-old woman identified as Yar Manak had committed suicide.

“She was a mother of two. Her body spent almost two days until it was found on Thursday hanging with a rope on a tree,” he explained.

The police officer pointed out that the incident occurred in the Dupou area.

“The body of the woman was collected and taken to Yirol Hospital…The woman's lifeless body was identified, and after a post-mortem, it was handed over to the family for burial,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the police chief inspector said they are also investigating another incident where an unidentified man committed suicide in the same area.

“The body of the unknown person was found decomposed; it spent four days in the bush. The body of the unknown man was found hanging on a tree in the bush by residents. The police investigators went and took pictures of the body,” he said.

“The unidentified body was left in the bush because it was decomposed. So, his name, community and where he came from remain unknown,” he added.

According to the police officer, the two suicide incidents happened on different days in the Dupou area of Yirol East County.

Angelina Adut, a psychiatrist at Yirol Hospital, told Radio Tamazuj that the rise in suicide cases could be attributed to stress, mental disorders, infectious diseases like HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis B, and poor living condition, especially women who are abandoned with children by their husbands in the community.

She said a lack of proper counselling for people in stressful situations is a big challenge, which can lead to suicide. Adut advised people in stressful situations to seek support from trained counsellors.

The South Sudan Penal Code 2008 says whoever attempts to or engages in any act towards committing suicide, commits an offence, and upon conviction, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or with a fine or with both.