A Sudanese man was ordered by village elders to pay a dowry and 'marry' a goat, drawing international attention to customary law practices in South Sudan.
Key Facts
- Perpetrator
- Charles Tombe, South Sudanese man
- Location
- Hai Malakal suburb, Juba, Sudan
- Dowry ordered
- SD 15,000 (approx. US$50 in 2006)
- Goat's name
- Rose (named during elders' deliberations)
- Goat's death
- 3 May 2007, choked on a plastic bag
- Legal review called
- November 2013 by South Sudan Law Society
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 2006, Charles Tombe was discovered by a goat owner engaging in sexual activity with the owner's goat in the Hai Malakal suburb of Juba. The owner subdued Tombe and brought the matter before village elders rather than to the police, seeking community-based resolution under customary law.
Village elders ruled that Tombe must 'marry' the goat, pay the goat's purchase cost, and pay a dowry of SD 15,000 (approximately US$50), with half required upfront. The goat, informally named 'Rose' during deliberations, became the subject of widespread international media coverage as a striking example of customary law enforcement.
The goat Rose died on 3 May 2007 after choking on a plastic bag, leaving behind a four-month-old kid. The incident gained lasting notoriety and was cited in November 2013 when the South Sudan Law Society called for a review of customary laws to abolish practices deemed bizarre or cruel, explicitly referencing the 'man forced to marry a goat called Rose' case.