By Hou Akot Hou
Police in Aweil Town, Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, have apprehended a woman who abandoned her newborn baby boy due to dire economic circumstances.
The mother’s identity has not been disclosed, but according to authorities, the woman found it increasingly difficult to care for her child after her husband abandoned her upon learning of the pregnancy.
“The baby was heard crying nearby a road but in a bushy vegetation, and when residents found out that it was a newborn, they reported it to the police, and a team was dispatched to the scene,” said Guot Guot Akol, the spokesperson of the Northern Bahr El Ghazal state police.
Akol stated that the woman is now being interrogated, and the baby was rushed to the hospital, where doctors are providing medical care.
The Criminal Investigation Department officers followed up on the case and eventually apprehended the woman, who admitted to abandoning the child due to the extreme poverty she was facing after her husband’s disappearance.
Adut Deng, a pediatrician at Aweil Hospital, said they have provided the baby and the mother with essential supplies, including clean clothing and sanitary items. She confirmed that both the mother and the child are now safe and under the hospital’s care.
Authorities have warned residents against taking drastic measures, such as abandoning their children, due to the economic challenges facing the community.
They emphasized that poverty should not be an excuse for such heartbreaking actions.