Gunmen abduct 17 civilians from Sudan’s Central Equatoria
By Isaac Vuni
March 20, 2008 (JUBA) — Seventeen people have been abducted by armed gunmen from Kajokaji and Kagwada counties of Central Equatoria state last Saturday and Monday, Commissioner of Juba County, Redentore Pitiya has said.
Commissioner Pitya said two groups of bandits attacked; looted shops and food stuff thereafter abducted seven people from Kagwada payam on Saturday night of 16th March and at Kala payam on Sunday 15th March where they abducted ten people.
Speaking in an exclusive interview to Sudan Tribune on Thursday in his office, Commissioner Pitya said the bandits are heavily armed and wearing green military uniforms that matches that of SPLA with exception of Southern Sudan national flag are terrorizing Kajo-kaji and Kagwada payams speaks Acholi , Arabic, Bari and Kiswahili languages. Surprisingly the bandits does not take any alcohol even if the found them, he remarked.
Commissioner says the bandits who came from east are now reported moving west of Kagwada – fifty miles from Juba town – and that contingents of SPLA forces are pursuing them.
According to eye witness, Mr. Stephen Pembe Luka, Deputy Director of Dollo payam that they show a government helicopter came at night hovering then he as administrator ordered surrounding people to put on lamp light to enable the copter lend but the pilot seeing those light it quickly disappeared.
Earlier in an interview at Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission office, the State Director of Central Equatoria, Mr. Stan Yata, stated that same copter was sported by rural community lending in forest then it disappeared after fifteen minutes.
Commissioner Pitya appeals to government of Southern Sudan to step-up security to protect rural people from heavily armed bandits and the international humanitarian organizations operating in Southern Sudan to urgent support the affected communities in Kagwada and Kajo-keji with relief assistance as their means of livelihood have been looted by bandits.
Last week the First Vice President of the Republic and president of the government of Southern Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit has already directed states governors of Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria states to disarm all armed civilian in order to avert what he termed a persistence insecurity to pave way for development programmes in the states.
Earlier the chief mediator of Uganda peace talks in Juba who is also the GoSS Vice president, Dr. Riek Machar refuted allegation that it was the LRA who launched an attack on Kajo-keji,Yei and Lainya counties of Central Equatoria state.
He stated that a joint investigation carried out by peace talk Cessation of Hostility and Monitoring Team revealed that there are disgruntled Sudan people liberation Army who called themselves No Unit are responsible for banditry activities in those areas and promised to find a solution by bring the culprits to books.
(ST)