Over 200 Children Abducted in Central Equatoria State

By Jenifer James

More than 200 children have been abducted from Lokiliri Payam, prompting a Member of Parliament to raise the alarm over increasing insecurity in Central Equatoria State.

The lawmaker urged authorities from both Central Equatoria State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area to take immediate action to protect affected communities and ensure the safe return of the children.

During a parliamentary session this week, Hon. Jackline Benjamin Lado informed the assembly about the recent abduction of five children, allegedly by suspects from the Pibor Administrative Area.

“So far, we have recorded 300 children abducted and 150 killed in Lokiliri Payam,” Lado told her fellow lawmakers. “This is not the first time; it continues to happen.”

She condemned the repeated attacks and questioned why communities in Lokiliri continue to suffer.

“We are the people of peace in Lokiliri Payam. Why are all these things happening in our areas?” she asked.

The MP further urged parliament to summon the Chief Administrator of Pibor Administrative Area and the Governor of Central Equatoria State to address the rising insecurity.

“I call upon this assembly to summon the Chief Administrator of Pibor and the Governor of Central Equatoria to answer questions regarding this issue,” she said.

Lado also cited a recent incident along the Liriya road, where four children were reportedly abducted from a passenger bus without any intervention.

“We want to know where we belong. In recent weeks, there was an attack along Liriya where four children were taken from a bus, and there was no response,” she lamented.

She further appealed for dialogue between MPs from Central Equatoria and those representing Pibor, emphasising the need to clarify whether the attacks have political motives.

“As MPs, we want to engage in dialogue with our colleagues from Pibor, and we want to know—are these actions politically motivated?” Jackline said.

On Monday, civil society activists and religious leaders condemned the incident in Lokiliri Payam, where people were killed and children were abducted.

Activist Edmund Yakani underscored the killings on Sunday night as a criminal and unacceptable act that has left children traumatised and in danger.

“This is unacceptable. This is a form of slave trade. This is a crime against humanity that should not be tolerated,” Yakani said in a statement issued on Monday.

Yakani expressed frustration at what he described as government inaction. “Lokiliri Payam in Juba County is experiencing consistent incidents of children being abducted or parents being killed in plain view of the government, without any genuine or effective response,” he said.