Leer man commits suicide after U.S. travel request denied

BENTIU – A 39-year-old man in Leer County of South Sudan’s Unity State has committed suicide after his request to travel to the United States was denied by his elder brother.

The Police Director General in Leer County, Brig. Gen. Tor Thor confirmed the tragic incident, which occurred at around 6:17 a.m. on Sunday, leading to the death of Mayiel Kuol, who allegedly hanged himself inside his house.

According to Thor, a team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kuol’s death. Preliminary findings revealed that the deceased left a note on his smartphone expressing his desire to travel from South Sudan to the United States.

“The CID team confirmed that before his death, the late Mayiel wrote a message on his phone saying he wanted to go to the United States. This incident reportedly happened after his elder brother rejected his request for support,” Thor told Sudans Post on Monday.

The police further disclosed that Kuol was an employee of a local organization in Leer and earned a monthly salary of 1,000 U.S. dollars, suggesting he could have afforded to travel without relying on his brother’s assistance. However, the name of the organization has been withheld pending the outcome of investigations.

“The investigators confirmed the root cause of the death after discovering the note written before he died,” Brig. Gen. Thor added. “It is very unfortunate to see an educated young man take his own life without being sick or harmed by anyone. This is very sad news.”

Mose Puot, a civil society member in Unity State, condemned the act, saying suicide should never be seen as a solution to personal problems.

“It is very unfortunate to hear about the death of a young man who took his own life by hanging himself inside his house,” Puot said. “Taking one’s life is not part of South Sudanese culture, and young people should seek help instead of resorting to suicide.”