Love triangle turns deadly in Juba, leaving three dead

JUBA – A love triangle in Juba turned violent on Tuesday evening, leaving three people dead, including a university student, according to a relative of the deceased.

Matik Kueth told Sudans Post that Riek Bol Mar was shot dead by his in-laws at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The violence stemmed from the in-laws’ anger over Mar’s elopement with their daughter, who had been promised to another man, Kueth said.

Mar, a third-year law student at the University of Juba and a teacher at Future High School in the Mangateen area, was shot twice in the chest at his residence in Gudele, Kueth said.

“The incident occurred last night, Tuesday, around 8 PM when my cousin, Riek Bol Mar, was killed by his in-laws. They arrived at Riek’s residence in Gudele and knocked at the gate. When the gate was opened, the attackers (in-laws) pushed through the smaller door and entered, armed with guns,” Matik said.

“Upon spotting Riek, they shot him twice in the chest, causing him to fall. We took Riek to the clinic last night, but unfortunately, he did not survive and passed away the same night. We are now preparing for his burial,” he added.

Kueth said that Mar’s nephew, a soldier, was also shot in the stomach during the attack. He then returned fire, killing the girl’s uncle, a member of parliament in Unity State, and two of the parliamentarian’s nephews, while wounding two others, Kueth said.

Kueth explained that the girl’s family, particularly her maternal uncles, had disapproved of Mar’s relationship since 2023.

“Riek had impregnated the girl in 2023 and had wanted to marry her but the parents refused,” Kueth said. “Riek eloped her despite the disapproval of her family, particularly her maternal uncles, because they did not want Riek to marry their niece.”