By Manas James Okony
A 19-year-old woman committed suicide by shooting herself dead in Twic East County in Jonglei State of South Sudan, after her boyfriend was allegedly in secret love affairs with another woman.
The county police crime officer, 2nd lieutenant Ajang Abraham Deng, identified the deceased as Mary Awut Deng, saying the woman was pregnant at the time she committed suicide.
He said the woman ended her own life over alleged unsettled marriage issue, in the county headquarters of Panyagoor town, on Monday morning.
“According to a statement, the lady was impregnated by a boy called Ngang Aguet and she went to the boy’s house. But she was returned by her parents because no dowry was paid,” he narrated.
“So, it was while in the house of her father that she took a gun and shot herself dead,” the police officer added.
According to the police, the girl was neither beaten nor harassed by her parents.
“Her parents said they took the lady to pressurize the family of the boy to pay dowry but unfortunately the girl shot herself dead in the house while the father was outside,” he stressed.
The police officer said the incident is being investigated after parents of the girl have lodged a case against the boy who impregnated her.
“The parents are blaming the death on the boy because they say the boy also brought another lady as a wife without knowledge of the deceased, and before they could have her case settled,” the police said.
The boy is in police custody, as investigations into the cause of the suicide are yet to be established.
“We are yet to take boy’s stamen,” the police officer noted.
Meanwhile, Twic East County youth leader, Peter Deng Maluil revealed that marriage-related violence is on the rise in the area.
“Two months ago, there was a suicide case. Violence over marriage issues is very common so there is really a need for intervention,” he said.
Suicide is an intentional killing of oneself.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the practice is one of the leading causes of deaths globally, claiming over 700, 000 lives every year, with low-and-middle income countries accounting for the 77 percent of the total mortality.