A court in South Sudan has awarded $1,455,180 in compensation to a man and a woman injured in a shooting outside the Juba residence of former National Security Service (NSS) Internal Security Bureau Chief General Akol Koor Kuc, following a civil lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Ajok Tito Telar, a First Grade County Court judge exercising the powers of a High Court. Representatives of the ministry were absent when the judgment was delivered.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Angelo Thon Pal, said the court awarded Manawa Gabriel Makwach $274,180 for medical expenses and property losses, including his personal car, as well as $800,000 in moral damages. Agum Andrea was awarded $81,000 for medical expenses and other losses, plus $300,000 in moral damages. The total monetary award is $1,455,180, excluding court and legal fees.
Pal said the court also ordered the ministry to pay Makwach 30 head of cattle in accordance with customary tradition, following a medical assessment that found he had sustained a 60% disability.
Pal welcomed the judgment, describing it as fair and just, and thanked the judiciary for ruling in favour of the plaintiffs.
The case stemmed from a shooting on November 21, 2024, in which Makwach and Andrea were injured while travelling in their vehicles.
Speaking after the verdict, Andrea urged the Ministry of Defence to pay the compensation without further delay. She said they had previously engaged with a committee established after the incident but had received no compensation despite submitting files to the relevant authorities. They subsequently sought redress through the courts.
“We appeal to the Ministry again that, regardless of where they are, in an urgent way, they intervene and try to see the necessary compensation,” Andrea said.
Makwach said he sustained serious injuries, including a broken jaw, and underwent several operations in Juba and Egypt. He said he still needed further medical treatment.
He described the judgment as a victory for justice and thanked the judges for ruling in the plaintiffs’ favour.
Pal said the plaintiffs had initially pursued the matter through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, which notified the defence ministry of the intended legal proceedings.
He said the defence ministry’s legal department had not cooperated with the process, adding that his clients subsequently obtained permission to sue under Section 33(2) of the Code of Civil Procedures Act, 2007.
Pal said the next step would be to open an execution file through the court, after which the ministry would be summoned to enforce the judgment.
He said the court has mechanisms to enforce its decisions if the ministry failed to comply and expressed confidence that the government institution would respect the ruling.
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