Four people, including the executive chief of Gimunu Boma, were abducted during a Thursday night attack by unknown gunmen in Gimunu Boma of Yei Town Payam, officials in Yei River County said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, Civil-Military Relations and Information Officer Michael Machar said the executive chief and three civilians were taken by the armed group during the nighttime attack.
Machar said the chief was later released, while the three other civilians remain missing.
“What happened last night is that the executive chief of Gimunu Boma in Yei Town Payam, together with three others, was kidnapped during the night. The chief was later released in the process, but the three others are still missing,” he said.
According to the chief’s account, the abductors were believed to be an opposition group, although Machar said authorities were still gathering more details.
Machar urged residents to remain calm, saying security forces are continuing patrols and maintaining normal security operations in the area despite the incident, which initially caused panic among residents.
He also encouraged residents to promptly report security incidents to authorities.
“There were no abuses reported during the incident, but such cases create fear among the civilian population. When such incidents happen at night, people should report them so authorities can respond quickly,” he said.
Machar added that vehicles and road users were continuing to move normally, and patrols were ongoing.
Efforts to reach the families of those abducted for comment were unsuccessful.