Warrap State is grappling with growing unease after another young man died during the fattening competition, the second fatality reported within just over a week.
The latest victim, Bak Wol Agor, passed away on Friday at Majok-tong cattle camp while competing in the annual ritual, only days after 28-year-old Mayol Akeer died in nearby Gogrial West County under similar circumstances.
The recent deaths of two young men within a week prompted Warrap State to ban traditional fattening competitions, exposing the lethal risks inherent in a long-standing cultural practice.
State Minister of Information Mamer Bath announced that the ban takes effect from August 29, 2025, warning that violators will be arrested and tasking local leaders with rigorous enforcement.
“Fattening is completely banned to prevent further deaths. Anyone caught participating will be arrested. We condemned the first incident and hoped the practice would stop, but it happened again. Another death could follow if nothing changes,” Bath directed commissioners, local chiefs, and traditional leaders to enforce the ban across the state.
For generations, the Dinka fattening contest has symbolized wealth, masculinity, and readiness for marriage.
Contestants retreat into cattle camps, consume large amounts of milk, and avoid physical activity until their bodies swell into commanding size.
The winner becomes a symbol of family honor and cattle abundance.
But the tradition that once carried prestige is now under sharper criticism as repeated deaths force communities to question what has changed.
“We have practiced the fattening season for generations, but it is unusual to lose so many young men in such a short time,” Sultan Ater Mayar Ayok, a community elder in Warrap, reflecting on Agor’s death.
He pointed to several factors that could explain the rise in fatalities.
He noted that the lack of medical support in remote cattle camps often turns treatable complications, such as digestive ruptures or dehydration—into fatal emergencies.
He also suggested that younger men may no longer follow the gradual preparation of past generations, a shift that could be making the ritual increasingly dangerous.
What is clear, however, is that this year’s fattening season has been marked not by celebration, but by grief.
Two young lives have been lost in pursuit of honor, leaving families devastated and raising a difficult question: can an ancient tradition adapt to modern realities without losing its soul?
