Two brothers in Amadi State have been arrested for negligence after a boy used their gun to accidentally shoot dead another on Christmas Eve.

The Deputy Governor of Amadi State says the 9-year-old boy shot dead his 12-year-old relative in Mvolo County using an AK 47 gun given to him by his elder brothers to take inside a house.

“It was very unfortunate on Christmas Eve these two boys were at home then the big boys went to graze cattle, after coming back from the field they just handed over guns to the boys and after taking these guns to the house, the younger one fired on the elder one and just  killed him,” Manase Doboyi told Eye Radio on Monody.

The deputy governor says the 9-year-old boy accidentally fired on the 912-year-old at a close range, killing him instantly.

Doboyi says parents should take care of guns in order to avoid accidental killings.

According to a 2017 National Small Arms Assessment report,  some 15% of households in South Sudan, reportedly had at least one firearm. Civilians reportedly hold between 232,000–601,000 firearms.