By Ijoo Bosco
A 30-year-old man identified as Ojum Sestilio on Friday hanged himself after beating his wife to dead in Omono Village, Ifwotu Payam of Torit County in Eastern Equatoria state.
Local authorities say the two couples died after a small domestic family quarrel that led to misunderstanding amongst them due to a result of alcoholic influence.
The boma chief in the area Simon Ikarang described the incident as unfortunate as most of the young youth have entered so much in drinking a locally brewed alcohol known as “Takaya” from morning to sunset.
He said drinking alcohol has made most of the people in his village very weak and cannot cultivate to help feed their families despite the available rain this season.
“Most people don’t want to dig, they wake up in the morning and immediately start drinking alcohol,” he said.
Last month a man identified as John Mogga aged 35 years beat his pregnant wife Achan Ifuho to death and committed suicide in Imurok Payam, Torit County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State.
Ikarang said the two couples died after a family misunderstanding resulting from over consumption of alcohol.
“This incident happened in the evening at around 5pm in a place call Omono, he beat his wife to death using a stick of a good size, after seeing that his wife is dead, he also disappeared and around 6pm people discovered him dead, he hanged himself,” Ikarang added.
Meanwhile the Torit County commissioner, Mr. Jacob Atari Albano confirms the incident saying the government had laid plans to regulate the consumption of alcohol at grassroots level due many reports of unnecessary killing and fighting amongst the village communities.
He said a local order regulating local alcohol consumption will be issued soon and a special mobile court will be instituted to try the wrong dowers promoting brewing local alcohol call Takaya and many others in the villages.
“Those found brewing local alcohol known as Takaya will face justice in a special mobile court and people who are still selling banned star Gin drinks plus others will soon feel the wrath of the law,” Atari said.
For his part, Peter Lokeng Lotone the State Minister of Local Government and law enforcement agency says police forces have been sent to investigate the matter.
He therefore urged the local communities to cease violence and seek peaceful ways of solving disputes.