By Hou Akot Hou
A suspected thief has broken into a business kiosk in Udhum Payam, Aweil West County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, and stolen approximately SSP 12 million belonging to a local women’s association.
The incident reportedly occurred early Wednesday morning while the shopkeeper was asleep. The suspect fled the scene and had not been apprehended by the time of publication.
Speaking to this publication, Udhum Payam Police Director Atak Wol Kiir said the stolen money belonged to members of a women’s association who had pooled their savings to support their economic activities.
According to Kiir, the women contributed money through the association’s activities, including a savings and lending scheme in which members borrowed funds and repaid them with interest.
He said the theft had raised concerns among association members and created tension between the women and the shopkeeper from whose premises the money was stolen.
“The money belonging to the women’s association was lost on Wednesday, amounting to around SSP 12 million. The search is ongoing, but nobody has been apprehended yet,” Wol said.
He added that preliminary investigations suggested the burglary was unusual because there were no major signs of damage to the shop apart from the box in which the money was kept.
“This looks more like organised thievery. Nothing else was taken from the shop, which contains a lot of groceries and other goods. Only the money was stolen,” he said.
Kiir explained that the women usually kept their pooled funds at the shop after completing their association meetings, making the theft particularly concerning for the group.
He said police had launched investigations to identify and apprehend those responsible, adding that a similar incident had occurred previously in the area.
The police director expressed concern over what he described as growing criminal practices among some local youths, warning that such incidents could undermine community-based economic initiatives, particularly those aimed at empowering women.
He urged community leaders and residents to work together with security authorities to prevent similar incidents and strengthen the protection of local businesses and savings groups.
The theft has raised concerns about the safety of community savings and the potential impact of crime on women’s efforts to improve their livelihoods through collective financial activities.