By Hou Akot Hou
Seventeen people have been bitten by unidentified animals in separate incidents across Aweil West and North counties over the weekend, sparking fear among residents and drawing urgent responses from police and health officials.
Sixteen victims were attacked late Saturday at Udhum Payam in Aweil West County, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State, as they returned home from the weekly market. According to police, the group; mostly women and children, along with one man was trekking back through a bushy, swampy area when the animal struck.
Col. Atak Wol Kiir, police inspector in Udhum Payam, said the attack occurred at Wunliet, near a swamp known locally as Lil.
“The women were walking back home late from the market-day. On reaching the swampy area, the animal attacked them. Some suspect it was a fox. It bit women and children on the spot, along with one man, before running away,” Kiir told this publication.
He confirmed that all victims were rushed to hospital, treated with anti-rabies injections, and later discharged. “The good thing is that the people who were bitten are now safe and sound. They were injected against rabies and discharged,” he said.
Kiir urged residents to carry walking sticks or move in organized groups when returning home at night, warning that the new year has already brought misfortune.
Northern Bahr El Ghazal State health education focal point, Luka Lual Aleu Jok, also confirmed the incident.
“It is true. Sixteen people were bitten by an unknown animal in Udhum Payam while returning home. Another woman from Nyin-Ameth in Aweil North County was bitten by a similar unidentified animal, bringing the total to 17,” Jok said.
He added that the Ministry of Health and Aweil Civil Hospital coordinated immediate treatment for all victims.
Residents say the attacks have heightened anxiety in the state, already unsettled by recent rabid dog incidents. Bol Makuei Chok, a resident of Wadwil Payam in Aweil West, reported that a rabid dog bit 12 people on New Year’s Eve, sparking widespread fear.
“This has created panic among locals. People are worried about walking at night,” he said.
Authorities continue to urge residents to walk in groups and remain vigilant. Some speculate that cannibals may be involved, recalling a case in Aweil East’s Madhol Payam where a woman was reportedly attacked by a human but rescued by farmers returning from their fields.
While cannibalism is believed by some to exist, officials stress that the latest incidents in Aweil West and North counties underscore the growing threat of wild animals and rabid dogs attacking humans.
The combination of fear, rumour, and real danger has left communities on edge as the new year begins.