A man has reported that his wife and two children mysteriously disappeared in Juba’s Gumbo Sherikat on August 15, but his brother-in-law told Eye Radio his sister left due to domestic violence.

However, the husband, Atem Jacob Manyuon said he never quarrelled with his wife, and a telecom company allegedly tracked his wife’s phone to Bor in Jonglei State.

Manyuon said his mother had returned from a nearby market when she discovered that his wife Achol Sarah, 4-year-old daughter Aghok Atem, and 2-year-old son Manyuon Atem vanished.

In an email sent to Eye Radio on Friday morning, Atem said he was at work on that fateful day when his mother called to inform him that his wife and the kids were not at home.

According to him, the police authorities, upon recording his case, tracked his wife’s phone to Bor, the capital of Jonglei State.

However, when he rang the wife’s phone, it was out of reach.

“I was at my workplace, during that day, I left them with my mother at home at mid-day I was called by my mother that she had gone to the market to buy some foodstuff,” Atem narrated the incident to Eye Radio.

“Upon her return back home, she found the gates at home were open and my wife was not there with the kids she tried to call her, but her phone was not going through, she asked the neighbours, but they said they did not see her leaving home, so my mother called me.”

The aggrieved father added that he checked with the wife’s parents, but they also did not have any information which prompted him to open a police case.

“I called her parents, but they did not know her whereabouts, but that they are checking with their relatives,” he said.

“That is when I started getting very worried. So finally, I went and opened a police case and the investigation started by tracking my wife’s phone and it was indicated in Bor, Jonglei State.”

“We started to call and during the day, the phone will be off and when we called at night it goes through, but no one is picking up the call.”

It is not clear if the family could be victims of human trafficking or have willingly left.

But Atem said his family was a happy one, adding that he was never in conflict with either his wife or anyone else.

“My wife and I never had any problem with anybody. The only thing I can say is, we were living happily, and I do not know what really happened and that is why am worried about their well-being.”

But his brother-in-law, John Garang said the couple had a misunderstanding that prompted his sister to leave with the children.

Garang added that it’s the third time his sister has left her husband due to conflicts and domestic violence.

“The first incident is when they fought, and his wife ran away and they informed me that she came to my house in Uganda. Then I told him that his wife had arrived in Uganda then he said I want her back,” Garang narrated.

“So, I talked to my people in Uganda, and she was brought back to Juba and two of my cousins accompanied her to her house that was the first incident.”

“After two or one week I cannot remember he called me again, that ‘I fought with my wife and she ran away. If she arrives at your house let her not come back.”

Garang further said he had been communicating with the brother-in-law until he received a call that the sister disappeared with the kids.

“He [husband] called me that the wife disappeared with the children, and I told him to let us all monitor where she will appear and that is where we are now.”

“The first time, she came to my house with children and the second time, she left the children in her house and left alone and did not communicate with me.”

In a statement dated August 24, 2023, the Central Equatoria State Legal Administration and Public Prosecution Attorney directed mobile operator MTN to provide detailed information about incoming and outgoing calls of the woman’s number.

It also requested the location of the phone subscriber, including all messages of the phone, the full name of the subscriber as well and the copy of IDs of the subscriber including incoming and outgoing calls.

The Prosecution Attorney said the incident is a criminal case under section 53 of the South Sudan Penal Code, 2008.

In case of any information related to the wife and kids, contact Manyoun on telephone number 0928598864 or report to the nearby police station.