A special court in Gogrial West has found a man guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
The court was established to resolve cattle-related crimes in Warrap state
The court said the convict participated in a communal fighting between Awan Yien and Awan Rup communities over land dispute in July.
In the incident, one person was killed and three others wounded.
The court ordered to convict to pay 51 cows as blood compensation to the family of the deceased.
Colonel Abdalla Deng Mou, Inspector of Police in Akon Payam said the court also found 3 others guilty of burning down 3 huts known as tukuls.
“Only the convict who killed a person is the one to serve jail time. Those who participated in fighting were fined without imprisonment,” he confirmed.
The individuals who torched the houses have been ordered to rebuild the huts or pay a cows equivalent to the amount needed to construct new grass-thatch houses. Each tukul is said to cost between 2 to 11 million South Sudanese Pounds.
Col. Abdallah added that some police officers who were accused of involvement in the violence were freed due to lack of evidence to convict them.
One of the people whose properties was burnt during the violence is Chief Akuoc Mawien Kon.
He welcomed the decision by the court.
“For me, this compensation is enough. I will start rebuilding my tukul. As chiefs, we are the ones who started this problem. We should not involve in inciting conflicts,” Chief Mawien stated.
The verdict was was announced by the President of Kuajok high court, Judge Molana Malou Yel on Wednesday.