78 civilians released after days in captivity in Western Equatoria

At least 78 civilians abducted along the Juba-Mundri road in Western Equatoria State have been released after spending up to four days in captivity, a local official and survivors said.

Benson George Papa, Executive Director of Mundri East County, told Radio Tamazuj that about 40 people arrived at a police station on Wednesday at about 5am.

The group included 29 men and 11 women, including children, he said.

Eight other people had been released earlier, bringing the total number of freed civilians to 78, Papa said.

The civilians were abducted on 26 September while travelling along the Juba-Mundri road, he said.

Papa said there was no information to suggest that any of those abducted had been killed.

However, he said the survivors had endured difficult conditions while in captivity.

“We need to thank God because these people who were abducted have now been released, and we have received them safely,” he said.

He called on armed groups and other actors to stop abducting civilians, particularly women and children, and urged communities to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than violence.

Survivors describe the ambush

Elisama Gideon, a Baptist pastor from Maridi County, said he was travelling from Kajo-Keji to Maridi when armed men stopped the vehicle in which he was travelling.

About 40 people were taken during the incident, including 36 adults and four children travelling with their mothers, he said.

Gideon said several vehicles were stopped and passengers were robbed of money, phones and other belongings. Some vehicles were also burned, including a Land Cruiser.

“Everything that we had was looted. Even our phones and everything were taken from us,” he said.

He said he lost school documents from Kajo-Keji, his Bible and other personal belongings.

The abductees were taken into the bush, where some of the men were beaten and tied up, Gideon said.

He said the men and women were separated, making it difficult for him to know what happened to the women.

“Concerning the women, I cannot say exactly what happened to them because we were separated. I don’t know whether they were raped or what happened,” he said.

Gideon said the armed men referred to themselves as “guerrillas”.

He said some survivors believed the attackers were associated with an opposition armed group, but this could not be independently verified.

Nora Baraka, another survivor, said she was abducted on 26 September while travelling towards Juba.

She said passengers were ordered to surrender their money and belongings after their vehicles were stopped.

“After we were stopped, men were tied and women were told to lie down and give all the items, including money and property, and we surrendered everything,” she said.

More than five vehicles were stopped during the incident and some were burned, she said.

Baraka said the abductees were forced to carry food, cooking oil and other items taken from the vehicles into the bush.

Two men managed to escape during the journey, she said, while the other abductees continued travelling.

She said the abductees became exhausted after being forced to carry heavy loads over long distances.

Calls for greater protection

Wanga Emmanuel, chairman of civil society activists in Western Equatoria State, welcomed the release and called for greater protection of people travelling on the roads.

“Our message is that the civilian population are the people you are struggling to rule. You are struggling to come and take their leadership for their welfare,” Wanga said.

He called on armed and political actors across South Sudan to protect civilians and stop targeting them during conflicts.

“Our call is that throughout South Sudan, we should see civilians moving freely and doing their businesses freely,” he said.

Wanga thanked those involved in securing the civilians’ release but urged authorities and armed groups to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of civilians travelling along the Juba-Mundri-Yambio road.

The road is an important route linking communities in Western Equatoria with Juba and is used by passengers and traders.

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