Eight traders from Panyijiar County of Unity state who were kidnapped over the weekend by armed criminals in Yirol East County, Lakes State, were freed and handed over to the Panyijiar community in Awerial County.
The victims — including one woman who gave birth in captivity — were rescued along with 62 cattle and one goat. They were received by Awerial County Commissioner Philip Mawut Deng, who told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that the handover followed directives from the governor of Lakes State.
“I handed them over to their relatives based on directives from the state governor. We found them in the area of Ramciel under the protection of one of the soldiers who rescued them. We brought them to Awerial, and they were handed over to five people from their community who came from Juba to pick them up,” he said.
For his part, Panyijiar County Commissioner Gabriel Majok Bol also confirmed the release of the traders and the handover, which was witnessed by five members of the Panyijiar community who had traveled to Awerial. The victims were later transported to Juba to reunite with their families on Wednesday.
Majok thanked the Awerial County leadership for facilitating the release and called for accountability for those responsible.
According to officials, the group was kidnapped on Sept. 14 along the border between Lakes and Jonglei states, when armed youth attacked their boat and took them into the forest.
Commissioner Majok said the victims were freed without any ransom payment. “It is not true that any money was paid. I asked them during the handover, and they denied those allegations,” he said.
He credited the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) for assisting in the rescue, stating that soldiers stationed along the riverbanks helped secure the victims from the kidnappers.
Panyijiar community chairperson William Yien Kuol also confirmed the handover.
“All eight people were released and are now safe. We took them to Juba to reunite them with their family members,” Kuol said, expressing gratitude to Commissioner Deng and the Awerial authorities for their efforts.