July 8th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A 41-year old South Sudanese woman is in a critical medical condition after an attempt to commit suicide in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, relatives said.
According to one relative, Asunta Lal Ajang, a mother of two, took a 5-litre Jerrycan of diesel fuel and poured it on her body while gripping her 11-year-old daughter and set it aflame.
The same relative told the Nyamilepedia that Ajak has been suffering from a chronic ulcer since 2014 and as the condition was going from bad to worse without a person that support them, she lost hope and informed her daughters to be ready for every eventuality.
She told them that, life without a mother and father would be unbearable if she were to die and so she preferred to die with one of the daughters and possibly her youngest daughter, Achai Kual.
“When I am gone, nobody will be able to take care of both of you my daughters, especially, Achai, we better die together,” Asunta reportedly told her younger daughter, who’s now also a victim of this tragedy.
On Friday, Asunta sent her two daughters to the market to sell sorghum for 300 Kenyan Shillings, the daughters left as instructed without them knowing the plan was a death trap. A few minutes later, when the money was brought, the mother went out surreptitiously to the market and bought a 5-litre Jerry can of diesel Fuel.
Over the weekend, the elders daughter asked the mother: “mom, what are you going to do with this bottle of diesel fuel?”
“I will use it to ignite the fire,” the mother reportedly replied.
While the eldest daughter was sound asleep, the mother gripped the younger daughter tightly, poured the diesel fuel on them and set it ablaze.
Despite the screaming and wailing by Achai in anguish trying to call out for help, no one shown up for help.
Asunta is currently undergoing medical treatment at the Kakuma refugee camp with limited chances of survival. As the result of the suicide attempt, she suffered severe third-degree burns, stretching to the depth of the muscles.
On Sunday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) strongly condemned the incident and described it ‘an inhumane act’ that a real biological mother could never have done.
“This is an inhumane act that can not be done by a biological mother, we will see how we can go about this,” said a UN refugee official who visited her at the hospital she is being treated.
