South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that 27 armed South Sudanese cattle herders have been jailed by Ethiopian authorities after allegedly crossing the border illegally.
Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing, spokesperson Apuk Ayuel Mayen said the youths, from Eastern Equatoria state, are currently being held at Muzan Prison in Ethiopia.
“These 27 youths from Eastern Equatoria accidentally crossed the international border,” Mayen said. “They were cattle herders and, as is customary, they were armed. They were detained on the other side, and through our embassy in Addis Ababa, we are negotiating with the government of Ethiopia for their release.”
She added that the ministry is coordinating their safe return and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to “principled diplomacy, open communication and the advancement of South Sudan’s national interests at the regional, continental and global levels.”
The ministry did not specify the exact date when the South Sudanese nationals were arrested in Ethiopia after crossing the common borders with Ethiopia.
In addition to the situation in Ethiopia, the ministry said it is facilitating the return of South Sudanese nationals deported from other countries, including the United States, Egypt and Libya.
Mayen said South Sudan received eight deportees from the United States on July 5, including one South Sudanese citizen and a Mexican national who was repatriated to Mexico last weekend.
The South Sudanese individual was handed over to his family, while six others remain in government custody. Mayen clarified that they have not committed any crimes in South Sudan and had already served sentences in the U.S.
“They are under the custody of the government of the Republic of South Sudan. There is no interaction between them and the public,” she said.
Mayen noted that South Sudan is in communication with the deportees’ countries of origin to arrange possible repatriation. However, alternative solutions are being considered if their home countries refuse to accept them, she said.
In a related development, she highlighted President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s recent visit to Ethiopia, where he attended the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The discussions, Apuk said, focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, and regional integration, including potential access to Ethiopian electricity.
She pointed out that President Kiir also met with regional leaders from Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia, as well as dignitaries from Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.