BY Koshai Tisso Nadeem, Voice of Hope Radio
At least 26 inmates were released on Friday from Wau Central Prison, thanks to the support of the Luk Luk Community Development Association, a charitable organization working to alleviate overcrowding and improve conditions within the facility.
According to the association’s legal assistant, Kiir Mangok Madut, the initiative targeted prisoners serving light sentences or those detained over minor fines. He said the goal was to reduce suffering in the prison and to give the inmates a chance to rebuild their lives.
Mangok urged the Wau community—particularly the youth—to avoid crime and instead focus on developing their skills and capacities to prevent falling into criminal activities that may land them in prison.
One of the freed prisoners, Taysir Akech Majok, expressed gratitude to the organization for its intervention and appealed to the community to resolve minor disputes outside of the courts as an alternative to imprisonment. Another released inmate, Pasquale Gaitano Dunya, said prison life had taught him the value of freedom, urging young people not to engage in harmful acts that could lead to incarceration.
The Director of Wau Central Prison, Brigadier General John Juma Charles, welcomed the move, noting that although the prison was originally designed to hold 250 inmates, it currently houses 885 detainees—a situation he described as dangerous. He commended the charity’s role in helping decongest the prison through the release of inmates serving minor sentences.
The Luk Luk Community Development Association has been consistent in extending support to inmates in Wau. In April this year, the group facilitated the release of 31 prisoners, including 27 men and four women, while in 2022, similar initiatives during Lent saw several poor detainees freed as an act of charity.