A 23-year-old mother of twins, identified as Stella Iromo, who lives in the Longute suburb in Torit Town in Eastern Equatoria State, reportedly abandoned the twins and vanished on Wednesday.
The woman, believed to have arrived from Juba in July, gave birth to twins last month in the absence of her husband.
Santo Ofere, the owner of the home where Iromo resided, expressed frustration over the latter’s sudden disappearance.
“On Wednesday, I was with her, there was no problem, and she was calm. She escaped slowly after putting the children to sleep. She bathed them, and while we were chatting under the tree, I thought she was in the kitchen or in the house,” he narrated. “The children started crying, and my in-law checked on them and started looking for the mother, who was missing. We checked the water point and other places, but she was not there. She just vanished.”
David Adelino Iya, the chairperson for the police relations committee in the area, confirmed Iromo’s disappearance and said the situation of the twins is dire despite being fed on milk.
“When we investigated, we found that the woman just escaped from home, leaving the children alone, and up to now her whereabouts are unknown,” he explained. “The children are now suffering, and we informed relatives that they should look for infant formula (milk) to feed the children. They got it and are now feeding the twins on it, but they keep crying.
Adelino attributed Iromo’s disappearance to the prevailing economic hardships and suggested that perhaps the father of the twins is incapable of supporting her to look after them.
“There is no problem at home, which automatically tells us she was impregnated by these young boys who are irresponsible,” he stated. “I think that it is an issue related to economic hardships, but that is my assumption because it might be related to domestic issues.”
Meanwhile, Kulang Vicky, a civil society activist who works with the Women Relief Organisation, advised the woman to return to her children, saying that if she has problems with her husband, she should not transfer them to the innocent children.
“As a civil society activist, I am urging the woman to come back to the children,” she said. “These children are innocent, and she should not transfer her anger to them because they are a gift from God.”
When contacted, Major Justine Cleupus Takuru, the state police spokesperson, said they have yet to get a full report on the matter from the police relations committee in the area.