200 goats suffocate in Aweil due to lack of ventilation

AWIEL – At least two hundred goats purchased by traders for transportation to Juba suffocated on Monday night in Aweil Town, Northern Bahr El Gazal state. The goats were being prepared for the journey when the incident occurred.

Local trader Madhan Bol described the harrowing ordeal in an interview with Sudans Post on Wednesday, saying he was alerted to the situation by a friend.

“I was asleep when a friend woke me up and said the goats were suffocating in the byre. We found out that 200 goats had died,” he said.

Bol said the goats he and other traders purchased from local residents were worth 200,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) or more. He expressed devastation over the loss.

The traders were unable to determine why the goats died so quickly, as many of them relied on this business for their livelihood.

Another trader, Ngong Anei, said he lost over 30 goats and echoed the need for financial assistance from the state’s chamber of commerce to help them continue their work in the face of unemployment.

In response to the incident, the minister of animal resources, Mr. Kharbino Theip Tong, said he rushed to the scene and found that most of the goats had likely suffocated due to lack of ventilation.

Veterinary officers examined some of the surviving goats and found that their lungs were congested.

The minister said they planned to burn the dead goats, although some residents had opted to consume them.

Thiep urged traders and the public to keep their animal enclosures clean and well-ventilated.

Many traders in Northern Bahr El Gazal transport goats to Juba, where they can sell them for higher prices. This business has become more lucrative due to economic hardship in the region.