An opium smoker who is about thirty years testifies that he and his other colleagues buy the drug locally known as bangi in small quantity wrapped in plastic bags at one hundred and fifty South Sudanese Pounds in Juba.
He alleges that most of the sellers are soldiers and that many teenagers especially young people are active smokers.
“We buy at 150 SSP; most of the people selling it are soldiers. The soldiers put the opium in barrels or drums and seal them. You cannot miss smoking for a day. There are many smokers in the area. Some people who are smoking are under age. The smokers include taxi conductors and boda-boda riders, he explains.
Police Spokesperson Daniel Justin Boulo confirms that some soldiers are involved and others have been arrested.
He calls on smugglers and consumers to keep away from drugs because the punishment is heavy.
‘Yes, some soldiers are involved. We have arrested some. Now they are facing legal charges. All those tactics they are using [tactics of selling or smoking] are known to us, especially our unit of anti-drugs. They know how these people are using, how they are selling, all these we know. That’s why we trace them slowly, slowly, at the end, we used to arrest them. But we are actually targeting the big traders. These retailers are also being arrested’ Justin notes.
A civil society activist Jame David Kolok says opium or bangi has become a big issue in the region.
He attributes robbery and rapping of young girls and women in South Sudan to influence of opium.
‘This vice {opium} must be collectively handled. We need to investigate thoroughly where exactly this bangi is coming from. Obviously we know that in South Sudan there are some areas that can easily grow bangi, but this opium or bangi has also become a problem to the region and that justifies that it is important to know whether the suppliers are not across the region especially countries like Uganda, Kenya or Democratic Republic of Congo. So this has come a very important aspect of our society that must be taken up’, Jame stresses.
He also calls for peaceful way to succeed in fighting drugs.
‘Other than being violent, issues of drugs or alcoholism require some level of skill because these are human beings who can be spoken to. So we don’t need to see all the time these people [drug dealers or smokers] are violently arrested or put into prisons because you [authorities] may not be solving the problems, but you will be worsening this situation. So we need to see police come up with rehabilitation centers that are able to change the mindset of these young people and also convince them to disassociate themselves from this actions’ , Jame adds.
The speakers made the comments to CRN in an exclusive interview.