Activist condemns abduction of youth at Bentiu IDP camp

JUBA – The Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Edmund Yakani has condemned the abduction of three young people at the Bentiu IDP camp in Rubkona saying Unity State authorities are becoming used to it.

Yesterday, Hon. Marol Ter, a lawmaker representing Panyijiar County in the Unity State Transitional National Legislative Assembly told Sudans Post that three people as well as a woman were beaten by security personnel wearing SSPDF uniforms, before they were abducted at dawn on Thursday.

The reasons behind the abduction remains unclear, but the lawmaker said the group includes the wife of a youth group inside the IDP camp who wrote a statement calling on Governor Manytuil to resign or a face protest against him.

“The youth leadership in the [former] POC has been calling on the governor to resign or else they will go for protest.  So, they came in SSPDF uniform and picked them up at around 3:00AM in the morning today (Thursday),” Marol said.

“One of the victims is a pregnant woman who was also beaten along with two men. This woman is the wife of the youth leader who signed the statement. These people are just youth and they have no political activities,” the lawmaker said.

Speaking to Sudans Post this morning, Yakani condemned the abduction and called on the authorities or those behind the arrest to release them.

“CEPO in stronger term possible condemns this growing practice of abduction of young people in IDP camps by uniformed personnel in Unity State,” he said.

“This is a human rights violation and an act that is unacceptable. Whoever is behind the act of arresting or abducting the young IDPs in Bentiu should release them unconditionally,” he added.