South Sudanese army reunites two abducted children with parents
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
The South Sudanese army handed two children, aged two and five, back to their parents after recovering them in Gumuruk, in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. The children were abducted in December 2025 and June 2026 and found during an intelligence operation conducted with local authorities, according to army spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang.
The South Sudanese army returned two abducted children to their parents at a ceremony in Juba on Thursday, according to its spokesperson, Major General Lul Ruai Koang. Abi Gatwich Tuach, two, and Simon Gattiek Tut Kai, five, were found in Gumuruk, in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
South Sudanese forces and the authorities in Greater Pibor recovered the children during an intelligence operation, General Ruai said. Abi was abducted on 5 December 2025 in Suk Darfur, while Simon was taken on 13 June 2026 in the Suk Arnab residential area of Juba.
The spokesperson said security authorities had reported 32 missing children, of whom only three had been found and returned to their families. He called on the public to report disappearances and send photographs of the children to security services or police stations. He also asked the authorities in Greater Pibor to intensify the search for the other children and arrest suspects still at large.
The return of the two children follows a previous announcement by the South Sudanese army about their return to their families, published on 30 October. In October, eight suspects were also arrested in Juba in a child-trafficking case, according to an article published on 17 October.
