By Hou Akot Hou
A young woman, around 18 years old, tragically took her own life over the weekend in the Maper-West neighborhoods of Aweil Town, Northern Bahr El Gazal State.
The deceased, identified as Adhet Deng Chol, was reported to have quarreled with her co-wife, with whom she had a long-standing dispute.
After the two women were separated, the young woman then took her husband’s weapon and shot herself.
According to Captain Guot Guot Akol, the police spokesperson, the two wives belonged to a South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) soldier named Garang Juol Dhieu, who had left his military barracks with his firearm, which his wife then used to take her own life.
“The young woman who killed herself was recently wedded with the SSPDF soldier about a month old and the first wife started disagreeing with her,” Guot explained.
“The latter started leaving her house and came and attacked the new wife. Then the husband started fighting his first wife and took her back to her house, and in his absence, the new bride used the gun against herself and shot herself in the throat.”
The young woman was rushed to Aweil Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries due to the serious wound around her throat.
He said though the police tried to get details from her about what led to her tragic decision, she was unable to speak and died at the hospital.
Captain Guot blamed the incident on negligence, as some SSPDF and other armed forces members have resorted to leaving their guns at home without properly securing them, allowing them to be accessed by angry or unstable individuals.
“People should avoid leaving the guns at home. When you are on leave, the law says the guns should be left in the military stores or in the police rooms where guns are kept. Never loiter with the guns as the young woman had taken advantage of that,” he stated.
Akol appealed to the public to be vigilant and report any incidents of armed individuals not on duty, in order to prevent such tragic occurrences in the future.