As I write this post, 15-year-old Dau Akueng’s family is trying to work out how they move forward without their beloved human.
Dau and 12-year-old Chol Achiek were murdered in Cobblebank, Victoria, on Saturday.
Dau is the 18th Australian child killed this year. Chol is the 17th lost to violence. Their killers remain on the run.
Both boys were heading home from the nearby basketball facility following games there that evening.
They were attacked by about eight males, all wearing masks.
Dau’s dad, Elbino Akueng found out about his son from his daughter.
Despite begging them for information, police kept Elbino and his family in the dark for many hours.
“This is a basketball player, he’s not a criminal,” he says.
“I said to police, I said to the detectives, I need answers for what killed my son.
“I’m talking in front of cameras right now, on behalf of my community, this is happening to us.
“We’ve buried in these two weeks … four kids.
“Similar incidents are happening, there’s no answer from the police.”
Dau and Chol had no connection to criminal gangs, but there’s been widespread misinformation spread as social media users repeatedly call them criminals and blame them for their own murders.
There’s also been decentering, minimising and racism in the wake of their murders.
These attacks have completely dehumanised children, doing every day what millions of Australian kids do.
“Dau, he deserved a happy life,” a friend of the family says.
“He’s a very good child.
“I took him deeply into my heart.
“Please give us peace of mind – we need justice, especially for those children.”
Dau played and refereed with the Collingwood Basketball Association.
“His passing is a profound loss not only to his team but to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him both on and off the court,” the association says.
DAU AKUENG MATTERS! ❤️

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