The Embassy of India in South Sudan on Monday released a statement urging the SPLM-IO faction allied for former first vice president Riek Machar to release its two nationals captured on March 8, 2017 in the Upper Nile region.
The two engineers have been identified as Ambross Edward and Muggy Vijaya Boopathy who worked at an oilfield in Guelguk, home to the Adar oil field in the northern Upper Nile region.
“The embassy of India notes with grave concern and apprehension, the continued detention of its two citizens in South Sudan. The two Indian nationals, who are essentially non-combatants/ civilians were present in South Sudan purely for purpose of employment,” partly reads the statement.
“It is in this spirit, that this appeal is being made to those who have detained the two innocent Indian nationals to release them unconditional forthwith as a humanitarian gesture and in the interest of friendly and brotherly relations between the people of India and South Sudan,” adds the statement.
The embassy further said the families of the two captives are extremely anxious and worried about their welfare and safety.
Last week, Col. William Gatjiath Deng, the SPLA-IO military spokesman, said in a statement that they captured the two Indian nationals at Guelguk during fighting with the government forces.
“Two Indians engineers namely Mr. Ambross Edward and Mr. Muggy Vijaya Boopathy working for the Juba regime were captured alive,” said Gatjiath.
File photo: oil fields in Upper Nile/Radio Tamazuj