The authorities in Jonglei State and neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) on Thursday said they have identified abductees from each other’s jurisdictions and that efforts are underway to reunite them with their families.

GPPA officials said they have recovered nine individuals, four children and five women, who were abducted from Jonglei State.

John Abula, the GPAA Deputy Chief Administrator, told Radio Tamazuj that the former abductees are currently under the care of the local government.

“We recovered five women and four children who were abducted from Lou Nuer areas in Jonglei State and they are with us here at the headquarters,” he said.

According to Abula, the GPAA government, in collaboration with the leadership of Jonglei State, is actively working to locate and recover more abductees.

“Peace is a priority and the two sisterly states are working hard to restore peace among the local communities,” he stated. “Yesterday (Wednesday), the governor of Jonglei and the GPAA chief administrator were in Gumuruk for a peace conference.”

Meanwhile, the Jonglei State government has announced that they had recovered six people, women and children, abducted from GPAA.

Jonglei State Peace Minister Malual Gabriel Kon told this publication that Jonglei State authorities, their GPAA counterparts, and humanitarian partners working hard to reunify the abductees with their loved ones.

“We only identified the abductees but they have not been reunited with their families yet. Save the children and UNMISS will facilitate the process after which they will be handed over to their biological parents.” He explained. “Due to logistical challenges, we were unable to take the abductees from Jonglei to Pibor and also to bring the ones that are identified in Pibor back home.”

In a collaborative move to boost peace and security, Jonglei State Governor Denay Jock Chagor and GPAA Chief Administrator Gola Boyoi Gola convened a peace meeting in Pibor on Wednesday.

The meeting is part of a broader initiative to demobilize criminal elements that threaten to wage conflict and abduct more children and women from both regions.