Four women and three children were abducted by armed men in a road ambush in Uror County in Jonglei State on Monday, local officials and the police said.
Machot Gatluak Kenyjak, the Uror County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj Monday evening that the incident occurred when the assailants waylaid a group of women en route to neighboring Nyirol County to buy food items.
“What happened this Monday at 3 pm in Motot Payam was that we had a group of 11 women and some children who left Pieri town to buy food in Waat Payam in Nyirol County. While on the way between Wunbil and Waat, they were attacked,” he said. “Four women aged between 18 to 25 and boys aged 13 and 7 respectively and a girl, 5, were abducted.”
The commissioner accused armed men suspected to be from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area of involvement in the attack.
“One woman escaped into the bush being taken off while six other elderly women who were accompanying the abductees were released unhurt by the attackers. It was them who reported the incident and that the assailants were Murle bandits from GPAA,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brig. James Marial Gatluak, the county police inspector, also confirmed the incident and said local youth and soldiers were pursuing the attackers to retrieve the abductees.
“Youth of Motot and soldiers stationed there have since pursued the abductors to try to recover those women and children,” he said.
For his part, Simon Peter Ajany, the GPAA local government minister, said their youth were not involved in the attack because they are fighting off armed youth from Jonglei State whom he said are invading GPAA.
“As we speak, youths from Jonglei State are fighting us in Gumuruk and Likuangole counties. The news that those youths were mobilizing to attack us was known to everyone a week ago. So, none of our youth would move out to attack somewhere when they should be in GPAA to defend their families. So this report from Jonglei State is illogical,” he said.