PIBOR — Jonglei State authorities have received 10 people who were recently rescued after being abducted by armed youths from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
The abductees were handed over by the Chief Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Gola Boyoi Gola, to Jonglei State Governor Dr. Riek Gai Kok on Thursday in Pibor town.
This is as part of ongoing efforts to restore peace, reunite families, and rebuild trust between the two communities.
Ateny Pech Ariik, Commissioner of Bor County of Jonglei State, said the return marks an important step toward restoring family ties and strengthening efforts to address abductions involving women and children.
“We received 10 abductees from the Greater Jonglei side as part of ongoing efforts to restore peace, reunite families, and strengthen trust between our communities,” Pech said in his statement to media on Thursday.
He said the abductees were received following a peace mission to the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, which he undertook alongside Jonglei State Governor Dr. Riek Gai Kok.
“H.E. the Governor and I also addressed a public rally in Pibor, where we delivered a clear message of peace, unity, and peaceful coexistence between our two sisterly states,” he said.
Pech said handover contribute to ongoing peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts between communities in Jonglei and Greater Pibor
“Peace requires courage, dialogue, and the willingness to work together. We remain committed to strengthening the bonds between our communities and ensuring that our people live together in peace. Peace between our sisterly states is peace for our people.”
The abduction of women and children between Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) has been a longstanding feature of intercommunal conflict in South Sudan, particularly involving communities affected by cattle raiding, revenge attacks, and competition over land and resources.
The practice has often occurred during cycles of violence between communities in Jonglei and GPAA.
Women and children have been among those taken during attacks, with some abductees separated from their families for years before being traced and returned.
Jonglei State reportedly returned 255 abductees to the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), while the GPAA authorities handed over only 11 abductees to Jonglei between 2021 and 2023.
The Pibor region is prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle, and Dinka tribes, who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other, killing hundreds and destroying property, alongside child abduction.
Authorities in Jonglei state have blamed some incidents of violence on armed Murle youth from the neighboring Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
