A 17-year-old girl in Agago District has died by suicide following a disagreement with her family over a new romantic relationship.

Lillian Akullu’s body was discovered hanging from the roof of a house by one of her relatives on the evening of June 23, 2025, around 5:00 pm in Oporoto South Village, Patongo Town Council.

Reports indicate that Akullu had grown despondent after an aunt cautioned her against getting involved with a boy from the neighborhood. The two had recently started seeing each other, and the disapproval deeply affected the teenager.

It is alleged that, left alone at home that afternoon, Akullu took a rope typically used for tethering goats, tied it to the roof beam, and used it to end her life.

Police found no signs of physical struggle on the body, ruling out foul play.

Mr Joe Oloya, the Aswa East Regional Police Spokesperson, confirmed the incident, saying, “The death of the teenager has been preliminarily classified as suicide by hanging. Our homicide team is still carrying out investigations to fully understand the circumstances.”

He added, “We opened a case of suspected suicide to aid the investigation. A postmortem was conducted, and the body has been handed over to the family for burial.”

Preliminary findings suggest that a disagreement between the deceased and her aunt, who was reportedly against her romantic relationship—may have triggered the suicide.

Akullu’s death brings the number of suicide cases in the Aswa East Police Region to five since the start of the year, three of which have occurred in Agago District.

In another recent case, on May 11, residents of Labworyem Central Cell in the same district were left in shock after Sunday Auma, a 20-year-old mother, died by suicide following a heated argument with her husband over alleged infidelity. She left behind a three-month-old baby girl.

The Acholi sub-region, long scarred by decades of LRA insurgency, has experienced a worrying increase in suicide cases, with causes linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, domestic violence, chronic illness, mental health challenges, and land disputes.

Some local elders attribute the rising cases to unsettled spiritual matters. They believe many of those killed during the war were never given proper burials, and their unsettled spirits are now affecting survivors. A call for traditional cleansing rituals has gained momentum to restore spiritual balance.