Five hundred cows, two luxury cars, $13,000 in cash, two bikes, a boat and a few cell phones made up the final price in a heated bidding war for a 17-year-old in South Sudan.

The highest bidder was a man three times the girl’s age.

At least four other men in Eastern Lakes state competed, Philips Anyang Ngong, a human rights lawyer who tried to stop the bidding last month, said. Among the bidders was the state’s deputy governor.

Bids for a 17-year-old South Sudanese child bride were discussed on Facebook. Source: AAP More

“She has been reduced to a mere commodity,” Mr Ngong told The Associated Press, calling it “the biggest test of child abuse, trafficking and auctioning of a human being”.

Everyone involved should be held accountable, he said.

Earlier this month, Nyalong became the highest bidder’s ninth wife. Photos posted on Facebook show her sitting beside the groom, wearing a lavish dress and staring despondently at the floor.

The Associated Press is using only her first name to protect her identity. The groom did not respond to requests for comment.

South Sudan has a deeply rooted cultural practice of paying dowries for brides, usually in the form of cows. It also has a long history of child marriage. Even though that practice is now illegal, 40 per cent of girls still marry before age 18, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

The practice “threatens girls’ lives” and limits prospects for their future, Dr Mary Otieno, the agency’s country representative, said.

Facebook posts accused of ‘glorifying’ bride auction

The bidding war has caused local and international outrage. It took several days for Facebook to remove the post that first pointed out the auction, and after it was taken down other posts “glorifying” the situation remained, George Otim, country director for Plan International South Sudan, told the AP.

“This barbaric use of technology is reminiscent of latter-day slave markets,” he said.

“That a girl could be sold for marriage on the world’s biggest social networking site in this day and age is beyond belief.”

The auction was discussed, not carried out, on the site.

Facebook did not reply to a request for comment.