The family of Yei River County’s abducted Paramount Chief, Joseph Brown, confirmed Friday that he has been freed days after being seized by unknown gunmen along the Yei-Maridi road.
Brown was abducted Monday morning while traveling to the Pisak area in Logo Boma for community dialogue. Two aid workers from the Organization for Nonviolence and Development (ONAD) were also taken.
Juma Bosco Santino, a relative of the chief, told Radio Tamazuj that Brown was released Thursday evening but is in poor health after days in captivity.
“We give thanks to God for his return. Given his age, we feared the worst,” Santino said. “His health is now our biggest concern.”
Brown, a community leader appointed paramount chief in 2013, has played a key role in mediating local disputes and securing the release of wrongfully detained civilians, Santino added.
Santino called on armed groups—both signatories and non-signatories to South Sudan’s peace agreement—to protect civilians.
“Civilians are not combatants. They should not suffer,” he said. “While Yei town has relative peace, rural areas remain unstable, and innocent people continue to pay the price.”
Yei River County Commissioner Emmanuel Taban Seme urged rebel groups to lay down their weapons and pursue peace.
“We must end bloodshed, torture, and abductions,” Seme said. “Our people have suffered enough. Security forces must ensure justice and prevent such acts from recurring.”
The abduction follows recent violence in the area, including a deadly ambush along the Yei-Kaya road that left two people dead.
No group has claimed responsibility for either incident, though multiple armed factions operate in the area, including the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) and the National Salvation Front (NAS).