The Government of South Sudan on Sunday formally received twenty-seven (27) South Sudanese youth who had been held at Mizan Prison in the South-West Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, following months of high-level diplomatic engagement between the two neighboring states.
The announcement was made in an official statement by Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who confirmed that all 27 individuals originally from Eastern Equatoria State arrived in good health.
According to the Ministry, the repatriation was the result of “very close coordination” involving multiple institutions including South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Embassy of South Sudan in Addis Ababa, the Office of the Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programs, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and authorities in Ethiopia’s South-West Region.
The Government extended “profound appreciation” to the Ethiopian authorities for their cooperation and for facilitating the lawful release and transfer of the youth back to South Sudan.
The Ministry also acknowledged the “deeply committed role” played by the Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programs, Hon. Adut Ayuel, whose office coordinated the logistical and diplomatic processes leading to the safe handover.
Senior officials including Hon. Monday Semaya Kumba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the staff of the South Sudanese Embassy in Addis Ababa, were commended for ensuring the orderly transportation of the returnees from Ethiopia to Juba.
The Ministry emphasized that the successful repatriation demonstrates the “strength and maturity” of bilateral relations between South Sudan and Ethiopia.
It described the development as a constructive step toward enhancing cooperation, strengthening mutual trust, and deepening people-to-people relations between the two nations.
South Sudan reaffirmed its commitment to continued collaboration with Ethiopia to promote peaceful coexistence along the shared border, uphold regional stability, and guarantee the protection and dignified return of its citizens abroad whenever necessary.
