By William Madouk Garang
Anne Kaku, an MP in the parliamentary caucus at Central Equatoria State Transitional Legislative Assembly appeals to Jonglei government, and Bor community to help return eleven children allegedly abducted by cattle herders in Juba County.
The Lawmaker said that if such act of child abduction continues the future of the country would be bleak.
“I appeal to my President and leaders at national government, let the presidential order 2017 be implemented or reactivated so that we can live together,” said Kaku.
“During the accidents that were taking place especially the accident of Mangala – there were three children that were abducted. We followed and realized that these children are with cattle herders,” she continued.
The MP stressed that all the kidnapped children must be identified and brought back to their parents; adding that about eleven kids were abducted in Mangala, Lokiriri, and in Lobonok payams respectively.
“That means recently they have 8 children abducted plus three in Mangala – we can say eleven children,” noted Ms. Kaku.
“We need our government to open any eye because these are the future of this country and state. I appeal to governor of Jonglei, community of Bor and Chairman of Bor Community to help us find out where are these children,” she appealed.
She urged Bor community especially cattle herders to shun violence but rather use dialogue as means to address grievances.
“We ask our people, the Bor community please leave these atrocities and talk to cattle herders not to behave like that because we are one people and one nation. Why do we want to destroy ourselves with small disagreement,” Kuka advised.
On November 2021, President Salva Kiir called on communities from Pibor Administrative Area to cease all forms of hostilities, including the abduction of children and forge unity among themselves.
“I always stand with you to unite the people of Murle especially the youth that issue of being hostile and fighting throughout is not what we want,” he said adding, that “We want peaceful coexistence. No one should abduct someone’s child or should take the others’ cattle,” Kiir said.
The head of the state made the call during the swearing-in ceremony of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Telecommunication and Postal Service, Dr. Jacob M. Baba Korok in Juba.
In April 2021, at least 58 women and children who were abducted in 2020 during vicious inter-communal fighting in Greater Jonglei State were reunited with their families.
This came following a community-led goodwill agreement between the Lou Nuer, Murle, and Dinka Bor ethnic communities to exchange abducted women and children.
The three communities have been living in hostility characterized by cattle rustling, child and women abduction and revenge attacks. The intensive efforts backed by UNMISS to broker peace between them remain underway since December 2020.
According to UNICEF in 2020, between January and August, an estimated 680 women and children were abducted during the extreme violence between communities in Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area.