The South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is actively working to bring back youth who are being detained abroad, according to the ministry’s spokesperson, Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen.
She said the government is currently working on securing the release of 27 youth from Eastern Equatoria being held in Ethiopian detention center.
The efforts include repatriating nationals from the United States, Egypt, and Libya.
During a weekly press briefing, Ambassador Mayen said the ministry is coordinating the “safe return of 27 youth from Eastern Equatorial States who are currently detained in Muzanprison in Ethiopia.”
The spokesperson clarified that these individuals, who are cattle herders, “accidentally crossed the international border” while armed and were subsequently detained by Ethiopian authorities.
South Sudan’s embassy in Addis Ababa is reportedly currently “negotiating with the government of Ethiopia for their release.”
Ambassador Mayen further reaffirmed the foreign ministry’s commitment to “principled diplomacy, open communication, and the advancement of South Sudan’s national interests at the regional, continental, and global levels.”
