FILE PHOTO: Abductees identified by Pibor Administrative area expected to be handed over to the neighboring counties in Jonglei state. - credit | Nyaboth Paska | 15th March 2021

Abduction of children and women for commercial gains is on the rise in Eastern Equatoria state, the Police has said.

In the previous years, Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Jonglei, Eastern and parts of Central Equatoria were the most states experiencing the vice of child abductions.

Recently, the UN Mission in South Sudan said women and children were abducted in the country to be exchanged as bride price in the form of cattle.

It estimated that as many as 686 women and children were abducted during the extreme violence between different communities in Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area between January and August 2020.

Brigadier James Dak Karlo is the deputy spokesperson of South Sudan national Police service.

He told Eye Radio that he witnessed similar incidents in Torit where a child was abducted in broad daylight while visiting a nearby shop.

Brigadier Dak says the police have discovered that there is a network of organized criminals active in Kapoeta, Torit and Juba…

“What we discovered in Eastern Equatoria state was bad. In the daytime, a child was sent to a shop where a group of armed men came to take the child. We asked, what is this? They said this [abduction] has become common now,” Brigadier Dak said.

“These children are taken to the outskirts of Kapoeta payams and Boma. There is a team there organized. They will receive these children and give them out in exchange with money and use the money to buy the cattle, these cattle are brought to Torit, then from Torit there is an escort to Gumbo market, so it becomes now a business.”               

Brigadier Dak went on to say, a number of suspects have been arrested over the crime and cases filed against them.

He, however, could not give details of the individual suspects.

“No, I don’t have the statistics but some have been arrested.”

“Police are the eye of the public but if the police are not told and it has been reported that some of them have been apprehended. Those who have been apprehended, the case has been opened in Torit and some cases have been opened in Nimule.”