At least 20 abductees, including women and children, were on Tuesday handed over to the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) authorities in Pibor town by Jonglei State government officials.
The former abductees were forcefully taken by armed youth from Jonglei State who invaded and fought in GPAA’s Gurmuk County last month.
Abraham Kelang, the GPAA information minister, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the recovery means relief for the families of the former abductees.
“Today, we received 20 more abductees from our Jonglei State counterparts, bringing the total in our custody to 88. We are happy as a government for this,” he said. “Of the abductees. 10 are girls, four boys, and six women.”
The local official pointed out that arrangements are underway to reunite the abductees with their families in the coming days.
For his part, Jonglei State information minister, John Samuel Manyuon, said the abductees had their release secured in an ongoing recovery mission by the state.
“Our efforts continue up to the county level. On Sunday, we were in Uror on a one-day trip to talk to the community to give us children,” he said.
Nyany Korok, a GPAA anti-corruption commissioner, lauded the recovery and handover as a show of political will and called for cooperation between Jonglei State and GPAA to combat crimes.
Last week, GPAA authorities received 68 abductees from the neighboring Jonglei State counterparts during a ceremony in the GPAA capital, Pibor town.