Hon. Eche Barri Wanji, a member of parliament and the Chairperson Committee on the Regional Integration and East African Affairs - COURTESY

‘Pibor needs words of God,’ says Hon. Poni on child abduction.

Some members of parliament say the people of the Pibor area need evangelization to stop abducting children from neighbouring communities.

The lawmakers made the remarks on Tuesday during a debate on the insecurity between Jonglei state and Pibor Administrative Area.

The frustrated MPs’ utterances such as the Murle community are terrorists and barren can amount to hate speech.

A member of parliament from Central Equatoria State, Hon. Jenti Poni Bullen says child abduction by the Murle is not new.

“It’s not new for Murle to be stealing children. During dry season when Murle comes to Juba to sell their cows and goats, all people fear them,” Hon. Poni said.

“Everyone would hide his child during the dry season because a  Murle is coming to Juba,” she said.

“People allow our children to walk freely when it’s the month of March to April. This has not just started today,” she added.

“If they have a reason for stealing children let them tell us, if it’s because they don’t produce children,” Poni said.

“You can’t take a child who has a different culture and blood to be your child, this is not acceptable.”

Hon Poni says Pibor needs the word of God. “We need to take the word of God to Murle so that they stop stealing children of other people.

“God didn’t say in the Bible someone should steal someone’s child. God told us to multiply by producing children, why are they [Murle] not producing their own children,” she asked.

Hon. Eche Barri Wanji, a member of parliament and the Chairperson Committee on the Regional Integration and East African Affairs described the Jonglei-Pibor conflict as an act of terrorism.

“These are armed strong youth who are perpetuating acts of violence,” Hon Achi said.

“Right Honorable Speaker, I said what occurs in this area can amount to terrorism. These are people using terrorist methods to achieve their end,” he said.

Eche stressed that the Jognlei-Pibor conflict can be mitigated by creating a security buffer zone between the two areas.

He stated that providing services to the community in those areas would eradicate senseless violence.

Hon. Joseph Malual, a member of parliament from Rumbek Jonglei said Pibor needs an honest grassroots dialogue.

The Governor of Jonglei state, Denay Chagor called for the urgent deployment of unified forces to address the issues of insecurity between his state and the Pibor Administrative Area.

“I suggest there should be a short-term and long-term. The short time is to make sure that the Necessary Unified Forces are deployed,” said Governor Denay.

“The long term is to make sure that we have a peaceful disarmament all across this country because if we don’t carry out a peaceful disarmament, we will always come here and read the same report just like am reading here,” he said.

“If we do carry out a peaceful disarmament where we give it all our hearts, this will end,” he added.

Speaking during the same sitting, the Chief Administrative of Pibor Area Lokole Ame Bullen says the civilians are armed more than the security organs.

He called for the massive disarmament of the armed civilians in the greater Jonglei region.

“We need the national government to deploy, graduate Unified Forces and end insecurity along the buffer zone areas like Lokoromac, Uno, Koziar, Manyabol and Dikidic and Rac,” Lokole said.

“Jebel Boma and Pochala and improving the situation of child abduction in the area need government and international agencies to provide development in the area and road construction and provide adequate service in the area,” he said.