The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) has reunited two abducted children with their parents after recovering them from Gumuruk Town in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
The handover ceremony took place on Thursday at the headquarters of the national army in Bilpam, Juba, at the monument of the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior.
The children were identified as two-year-old Abi Gatwich Tuach and five-year-old Simon Gattiek Tut Kai.
According to SSPDF spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang, Abi was abducted on December 5, 2025, from Suk Darfur, while Simon was taken on June 13, 2026, from the Suk Arnab residential area in Juba.
Gen. Ruai said the children were allegedly trafficked by individuals identified as Juma Logocho, Ayella Dominic Onono and Angok Ayok before being sold to two people, Mary Amei and Thomei Agany, respectively.
The children were subsequently taken to Gumuruk town, where they were recovered through an intelligence operation involving the SSPDF and authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
“We were able to recover two children about five days ago,” Gen. Ruai said. “Then they were brought to Bilpam yesterday, and we officially handed them over to their parents.”
He credited the successful operation to the cooperation of the Greater Pibor Chief Administrator and the command of SSPDF’s Agrab Independent Brigade.
The SSPDF mouthpiece appealed to the public to report missing children, share their photographs with security authorities and provide information about people suspected of involvement in child abductions.
“We are appealing to members of the public to keep on reporting to us missing children and send their pictures to me or report the same to the nearest police station,” he said.
The ceremony ended with an appeal to the Greater Pibor authorities to intensify efforts to arrest suspects still at large and recover other abducted children.
Gen. Ruai said security authorities had registered 32 missing children, of whom only three have so far been recovered and reunited with their families.
and then