A spokesman of the SPLA-IO in Equatoria says three humanitarian workers who were abducted recently are safe in their areas of control.
The three health workers who were contracted by ACROSS fell into an ambush along the Yei-Lasu road last week.
According to the IO military spokes person Wai Goodwil Edward, all the three health officials — one clinical officer, one community health worker and a Congolese refugee— are safe and are communicating with their families and the management of ACROSS.
Wai says efforts are in place to hand them over to ACROSS and UNHCR.
“These are people who were rescued from a situation, they are safe and they are in contact with the leadership of ACROSS and their family members. Why we are keeping them here because the roads are not safe but we shall hand them as soon as possible,” said Edward.
Wai accused the government forces for hindering access to humanitarian workers, saying the IO leadership respects and grants them access to help the civilians in the rural areas.
“The Government is obstructing movement of humanitarian workers from accessing areas controlled by the IO on claim that they are supporting us which is not true. For us we don’t have problems with humanitarian workers,” he said.