Calm Returns To Abyei After Four Killed In Shoot Out

15 February 2011 – (Abyei) – Calm has returned to Abyei following a shooting which occurred on Saturday killing four people and wounding several others.

The shooting started when a JIU soldier attempted to enter Abyei town market with his gun while the local police tried to stop him.

According to the deputy administrator of the region Kon Manyiet, there is a local order barring soldiers from accessing the market armed. They are expected to leave their guns at a police station next to the market.

He spoke to SRS from Abyei on Monday.

[Kon Manyiet]: “Currently the situation is normal. This morning all the businessmen returned to the market and opened their shops. The people who were killed were killed on the 12th when the problem occurred. Basically, we have a system that no soldier is allowed to enter the market with a gun. We have a police station where every soldier has to leave his gun and then enter to the market. What happened is that a JIU soldier tried to enter the market with his gun. People tried to stop him and he tried to kill them. Then the people then started taking up their arms and he escaped as he shot in the air.”

Manyiet said that businessmen who had escaped fearing for their lives have come back and are doing business as usual.