By Bida Elly David
A woman lawmaker representing Lainya County at the reconstituted transitional national legislative assembly (R-TNLA) has accused a soldier serving with the South Sudan People’s Defense Force SSPDF of torturing a 13 year old girl after kidnapping her in Lainya County noting that the perpetrator had caused trauma to the girl’s family after months of searching.
Speaking to the media yesterday, MP Dusman Joice, disclosed that a 13 year old girl was kidnapped by a soldier from the 9th –August-2023 up to 4th-April where she surfaced the incident.
She stated that the soldier, after torturing the girl, brought her and dumped her near Mouna medical complex in Juba’s Mouna neighborhood and escaped.
She added that the young lady who lost hope of survival after being dumped by the kidnapper suffered on the floor helplessly but later rescued by a sanctified doctor who requested her parents’ numbers for confirmation.
According to Dusman, the soldier was believed to have beaten the girl on account of communicating with another man on the phone, giving a clear definition that he kidnapped her for marriage purposes.
Dusman said the lady is slowly recovering but lacks the appetite to eat anything to strengthen her body.
She warned men, especially soldiers, against the tendency to mistreat women and young girls below, saying that they will not let the law favor any man.
“On the 9th –August-2022, a 13 year old girl called Anna Michael Sebit was kidnapped by a soldier called Mabior of SSPDF from Lainya County. Since that day, the family of the young lady has been looking for her. As representative of Lainya in the parliament, we have also been looking for the person who kidnapped her,” Dusman narrated.
Following the communication between the doctor and the girl’s mother, it was discovered that the young girl was taken and dumped at the hospital with signs of beatings all over her body.
“It was only on the 4th –April-2023 when a doctor called the mother. It seemed the girl gave the telephone to the doctor after she was brought and dumped at Mouna hospital of Dr. Festo” she continued.
“Because the mother is in Lainya, started calling the uncles in Juba and other relatives as well as us. When we went to the hospital, we found that the girl was beaten by the soldier who kidnapped her from Lainya. After noticing that the situation of the girl was critical, he brought her and dumped her in the hospital,” he added.
The MP said Anna the victim suffered serious internal blood cloth that required operation as prescribed by the medical doctor.
Dusman further said the family was financially challenged after the doctor recommended operation for the victim with the bill of 200,000 SSP saying that with good faith, the doctor was able to conduct the operation.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator of the act, identified as Mabior, was reportedly apprehended and detained at Munuki police station after disclosing himself at the hospital with the intention of monitoring the situation secretly.
“As a woman’s representation and representative of Lainya, I am condemning this act. Our girls and women are really suffering because of rape and we don’t know why,” she said.
Moreover, she added that the perpetrator should not go unpunished since he had caused trauma and committed defilement if at all he raped the girl, noting that they (Women parliamentarians) are going to meet the head of police and the State minister of gender over the matter.
However, Dusman did not disclose the second name of the perpetrator alongside the location of his duty in Lainya County.
In response to the accusation, Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang the spokesperson of the SSPDF told No.1 Citizen daily newspaper that he wasn’t aware of what happened and promised to follow up if more details concerning the incident are gathered.
Lul also said that the concern raised by the Honorable member was not in detail since the suspected soldier has been identified by a single name.
“Lainya has so many forces. Let the victim or the MP give more information so that we can contact the base of the suspect. The information is not enough since we have so many similar names of Mabior in our bases in Libya, ” he said