Rumbek Radio Director Assaulted
3 min readSeptember 17, 2012 (RUMBEK) – The Director of Catholic Radio Good News, Fr. Don Bosco Ochieng, was physically attack by unknown group of people at around 10pm on Tuesday night in Rumbek market, while buying phone credit.
Assaults on media personnel are not new phenomenon South Sudan’s central state.
On Wednesday the Lakes State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency, Benjamin Makuer Mabor, ordered an immediate investigation into the of attack.
Minister Mabor said that his Ministry is taking “maximum” measures to bring those responsible to justice. The police’s do not know the identity of the attackers but said that “the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and security personnel are doing their best to bring [the] suspect[s] to book”.
Ochieng said that after the attack he is suffering injuries to his “head, face and elbows” and all his clothes were torn as part of the attack, in which his car keys were stolen.
The radio director was assaulted while buying phone credit on his way, while dropping home staff who had been on night shift duty. He explained that two young men, who recognized him as a priest, pulled him out of the car, beat him with a stick and punched and kicked him.
Ochieng stated that motive behind assault is unclear. “I don’t understand the motive for the violent assault, if the two young men were acting on their own or under instructions” he said.
The South Sudan Police Services on patrol on Tuesday took a full statement from Ochieng and escorted him back to the radio station’s office to collect the spare key of his car at around midnight.
Ochieng is a Kenyan national who works in Rumbek as priest, as well as the director of Catholic Radio Good News the part of Cathalic network in South Sudan. He is part of the clergy of Rumbek Catholic Diocese and the parish priest of Sacred Heart in Malual-bab Catholic Church, the area where the radio station’s office is based in Rumbek Central County.
There have been media reports of a rising concern by Governments of countries neighbouring South Sudan over the security of their citizens, who are working, residing or doing business in the new Republic.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article43918
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