JUBA — The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) says it has arrested eight suspects in Juba over alleged child abduction and trafficking, following a security operation in Mangateen’s Suk Darfur area, which the military identified as a hotspot for the reported crimes.
SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang announced the arrests during a media briefing on Saturday, October 17, saying Pibor has also been identified as an alleged destination and market for trafficked children.
He said the alleged prices in Juba varied by gender, with a girl reportedly sold for 15 million South Sudanese pounds, while a boy was priced at between 7 million and 9 million pounds.
Koang further alleged that in Pibor, boys could be exchanged for between 45 and 50 cattle, while girls were reportedly valued at between 30 and 45 cattle.
He stated that military intelligence personnel had been monitoring residential areas with high crime rates before uncovering a suspected network operating in Suk Darfur, a neighborhood in Mangateen.
Koang said authorities had received repeated reports of children going missing from their homes and while carrying out daily activities in the area.
“A total of 23 children were reported missing in the Suk Darfur residential area alone,” he said.
According to Koang, security personnel gathered information from residents, conducted surveillance, and eventually apprehended eight suspects believed to be connected to different stages of the alleged operation.
He said the suspects had been divided into three categories based on their alleged roles, including people suspected of abducting children, individuals accused of keeping them before transferring them to buyers, and others believed to have assisted the operation.
The first group comprised three SSPDF personnel and two civilians. Koang described the military suspects as mostly deserters and alleged that members of the group were involved in luring children and abducting them.
He told journalists that one civilian suspect allegedly enticed children in the neighborhood with sweets and biscuits before taking them to designated houses or nearby transport.
Another civilian was accused of keeping abducted children in a safe house before they were transferred to other people.
The second category, according to Koang, involved civilians suspected of holding children and facilitating their transfer to potential buyers. He alleged that some of the suspected buyers were based in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
Koang said the third category consisted of people investigators believed may have indirectly assisted the alleged trafficking operation.
“These are people that we call in law, accomplices,” he said. “It is the courts that will prove their level of involvement.”
Among those mentioned was a former finance minister from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. Koang alleged that a person who had bought an abducted child stayed at the former official’s house before arrangements were made to transport the child to Gumuruk in Pibor.
According to the spokesperson, the former official denied knowing about the alleged crime. Koang said investigators had linked him to the case after tracing the movement of the child.
He added that a woman suspected of buying the child and taking the child to Pibor had been arrested, but authorities were still checking whether the child remained in her possession or had been sold to someone else.
Koang said the suspects would face the relevant legal processes, depending on their status.
“Those with a military background will remain with us. They will be subjected to military trials based on our code of conduct,” he said, adding that civilian suspects would be handed over to the police.
The spokesperson said the investigation was continuing as authorities worked to establish the extent of the alleged network and identify other people who might have been involved.
He also announced the recovery of a boy identified as Hakim, who he said had been taken to Pibor and held for about 20 days before being reunited with his family.
Koang said authorities had traced eight other missing children and identified people believed to be holding them, although the children had not yet been physically recovered at the time of the briefing.
The spokesperson appealed to residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious activities in their neighborhoods.
“You see a house with unclear activities, with unclear figures going in and out, you report it,” he said. “We will keep your identity secret.”
He also urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant, warning that children could be approached by people they know or trust.
“My appeal to guardians and parents is that you be on the lookout,” Koang said.
He called on residents to share information and assist authorities in locating missing children, including by circulating their photographs through media outlets and social media platforms.
Koang said the alleged abductions were no longer confined to one region, warning that the cases required cooperation among communities and security agencies.
“The danger is no longer coming from far. The criminals are in our residential areas,” he said.
The spokesperson thanked military intelligence personnel for their role in the operation and said the next stage would involve legal proceedings against the suspects.
Editorial Note: The allegations against the eight suspects have yet to be tested in court, and their guilt has not been established.
The post Investigation: SSPDF arrests eight suspects in Juba over Mangateen-Pibor child trafficking network first appeared on Eye Radio.