The authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) on Saturday handed over seven former captives to their family members at a ceremony in Pibor town.
The former abductees included three lactating mothers and their children and an 11-year-old child. They were kidnapped together when armed youth from Jonglei State attacked GPAA in 2020.
“We received these abductees from Jonglei State, especially Nyirol County, on Friday. They are from different parts of Greater Pibor like Gumuruk and Likuangole and on Saturday we reunited them with their families in the presence of their chief,” Oleyo Akwer Nyalus, the GPAA Information minister, told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend.
He commended the Jonglei State authorities for recovering the abducted people and said it was a gesture of consolidating peaceful coexistence between the two communities.
“We are happy for this move by the government of Jonglei State as it is an indication of peace with our neighbors and urge that more abductees be recovered and handed over to us,” Minister Akwer added.
On his part, Nyirol County Commissioner James Chuol Jiek reiterated their commitment to peaceful coexistence and urged the Pibor authorities to reciprocate their move.