The father of the two boys who died of suspected food poisoning in Aweil last weekend says the government of South Sudan does not value soldiers in the country.
“Nobody has allowed me to come. I had to escape to come to the hospital to see the bodies of my children,” said Madouk Maduok, South Sudan People’s Defense Forces soldier based in Wunyiik Division III barrack.
The other three adults were also admitted in suspected food poisoning in Aweil state hospital.
The two boys aged five and eight died after eating “well-cooked” food, according to doctors.
The four children and their mother had spent four days before taking the tree leaves called ‘akuar’ in Dika that later poisoned them.
Maduok says spent some months at the Abyei-War-nguet border without communicating with his family due to lack of network.
“I told them my children had died and requested for car to take the dead bodies to my area fur burial, but they have not responded up to now,” Maduok told Akol Yam FM.
He says his children would not have died easily like that if he wasn’t in the army to protect the country.
According to the new salary structure, a soldier receives 3,728 South Sudanese Pounds, roughly equivalent to $3.7.