Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
April 5, 2011 (BOR) – Six children who were abducted by Murle tribesmen from Bor and Ayod counties in Pibor County who were rescued by South Sudan’s army (SPLA) were handed over to state authorities at a ceremony held at the council of ministers’ hall in Bor the capital of Jonglei state.
Among the recovered children are, Nyandeng Magor (10) of Duk county, Yar Mabil Jool (5) of Bor County, Adut Dau (4) of Twice East County among others. A 11 year old boy suspected to be from Mundari community of Tereka county of Central Equatoria State is said to have been left in SPLA custody in Pibor until parents go for identification.
Speaking to state officials in the Council of Ministers hall, Nyandeng Magor Anyang (10 yrs), one of the six children recalled the day of her abduction saying she was kidnapped by members of the Murle tribe while on journey in Duk county.
Nyandeng said the SPLA found her while sleeping with a child of her adoptive mother and was taken to Pibor where she met other six children, adding that she is happy to be back home and reunited with her parents.
The two youngest children, who were recovered where too young (around three years old), to identify where they are from and who their parents are.
However, from the their facial scarring it is believed they are from the Dinka ethnic group, the largest in South Sudan.
Col. Moses Bior Alier an SPLA officer who handed the children to the state government told Sudan Tribune that the three abductors had been arrested and were being held in Pibor prison. He said the army and the paramount chief of Pibor county including armed SPLM youth are committed to put in efforts to rescue more children and re-unite them with their families.
The commissioner of Bor County, Maker Lual, who asked the government officials to host the children while waiting for their families is to travel to Pibor to collect them said he expected the remaining children would be handed over to their parents on Wednesday April 6.
The state ministry of social development and UNICEF pledged to give clothes and medical support to the children.
Three more abducted children are said to have been recovered in Pibor on April 5 by the SPLA with the help of Murle paramount chief, Nyanthoo Kabula Laju as peace dialogue between Murle and Dinka Bor continues in Manybol payam [district] of Pibor county.
Manyang said child abduction was a seriously problem in the South Sudan’s Jonglei state.
“Abduction of children is a bad phenomenon. It is a violation of human rights and is a violation child right and parents’ rights and it is condemned worldwide and condemned by the Government of South Sudan and laws discouraging abduction. No[one] welcomes this. It a bad phenomenon and we condemn it all”, Governor Kuol Manyang said.
“I am glad that these children are back in the hands of the government and also in the hands of the parents. I commend the work done by the SPLA and chiefs of Murle and the SPLM youth”, he added.
This is not the first time the army has rescued abducted children. Six other children were rescued by SPLA and brought to the capital of Bor on February 5 where they were reunited with their parents.
Peace negotiations are continuing in Manybol to try and put an end to cattle raiding and child abduction in the area.
(ST)
Peter Nhiany
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
Congratulations to the families and relatives of the rescued abducted children, and bravo and appreciation to SPLA armed forces and Murle communities’ paramount chiefs for putting peaceful effort to help recover those children.
Chidren abduction is become a norm in murle community and I think we do understand how bad it is to engage in human abduction and stealing. There is always cause for everything and always there is a remedy for every cause. I have much to say, but overshadowed by excitement for the return of those kids to families.
I urge Jonglei State authorities to continue with peace talk in Manybol and proceed with peaceful effort of child recovery.
We do not want more life to be lost; if Murle communities resort to fight the SPLA armed bodies, people should try different approach, and refrain from retaliating to the confrontation. We want to make Jonglei State a better place where there is love, peace, unity and freedom for all the citizens.
Thanks to Governor for acknowledging the great work of SPLA armed forces and Murle community paramount Chiefs child recovery effort. I very much thanks the Murle paramont Chiefs cooperating with the SPLA armed forces to help locate those who are hiding other kids.
The governor is right; child abduction is not acceptable and it is condemnable. It is against human rights, and rights of those who bear (parents) children. It should stop and make it nowhere to be heard in Jonglei State.
We as a community need to take courage and participate in peace building one block at a time and in the end, we shall be one loving State. A state where people from other part of South Sudan would want to live.
Please continue a good work and remember the lives of our people is the priority while promoting peace at the same time. Long live Jonglei State, long live its wonderful loving people. May God you all and bless South Sudan.
And thank you.
Peter Nhiany.
Waucity
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
This was a very good news…But really, the Murle community need to hear us out, They wouldn’t like it if it was being done to them.
Hero
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
Appreciation to they team involved!
They poor Murles need to be told that,adducting another human being child is not entertainable and it has no place on this planet and should stopped immediately or risks being punished severely if these inhumane activities continues.Otherwise, much thank goes to those are behind this success.Keep it up guys!
unityfirst1
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
congratulation to both,parents and the SPLA armies and special thanks to the Murle chief for his cooperative manner.child abduction is one of the worse crime in the whole regions of the world,it’s a violation to the parents birth right and crime against the humanity as well,to assimilate someone’s child is a second degree murder and arm criminal action.south sudan should constitutionalize such crime in long time of incarceration,those chieves should be taught a very tough lesson where they should serve most of their time in the penitentiary,no less than twenty years.
OG-Tiger.
Murle Intellectual
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
The Bor Dinka are known to sell their children to some ignorant Murle in exchange of Murle cows, and later on report the case to the authorities. There are Murle children abducted by Nuer and Dinka SPLA members. Those Murle children are now in Nasir and Bor, but nobody is talking about that. Kuol Manyang is a killer of Murle and Nuer, he is a Murle hater telling lies against Murle. Who will rescue those Murle children in Nuer Land?
San Manyuon
Jonglei: Six abducted children rescued by SPLA from Murle tribesmen
It’s a very great joy for all of us a long with the families and the recovered abductees. And yes Nhiany you could not appreciate any better to all the people involved; The SPLA Forces, the Murle Community, the abductees, and Parents. We ‘re very glad that the suffered parents and relatives of those particular children have at least found some exciting feelings again. It’s so such a high crime for innocent children to encounter this act in the world of heartless adults.
There is more to be done to recover all the children out there, and in the long run to never experience such condemnation among us. Further, all of us have yet to teach our communities that abduction is not a form of business, it’s part of slavery, it’s an inhuman act that had led us fought the civil wars among ourselves and we should understand better then that. We had experienced all the bad actions against us in the hand or in the instruction of Khartoum government, now we should get united to fight the remains out of our new country once for all.
Going forward, every community have at least civilize leaders, such people should educate their respective communities that we in South Sudan should enforce an enduring peace, Liberty, and freedom among many good deeds that we need to share.
To response to my friend’s comment above, I am not going to debate what you had said that SPLA, particularly the dinka had abducted children from Murle in the past, and that there are murle’s children among the dinka today, that probably not in the name of SPLA. SPLA as we know it, is a liberation Coalition of South Sudan men & women that fought for all of us in the South and they never took side against any community in the South, at least in that name.
If there is any dinka particular clan that have engaged in such un acceptable behavior against the Murle’s children and community, probably it was a retaliation of some kind. We don’t have suck business known anywhere and I am sure there is no such evidence to support it either, plus of course we condemned it and such people will never live among us if known.