Article written by Gateway News
The abducted workers reported that they were beaten, forced to carry heavy loads for long distances and were not given adequate food and water. They were made to sleep in the open without shelter or bedding. The assailants confiscated their personal belongings, including mobile phones, Bibles and theological training certificates, Pastor John said, adding that the workers were traumatised and required psychosocial and medical care. The workers, all native South Sudanese, were identified as Thomas Oliver, Japheth Elisama, John Simon, Justin Wilson, James Banyi, and Ezibon Yoanna. It was not immediately clear why they were released, but it appeared they were abducted as a form of punishment for their ministry.
Christians have been targeted in the country. On February 25, the body of a church pastor near Juba was found after he had been abducted on February 19. Church leaders in the region are increasingly calling for better protection and investigations into targeted killings, as the motives behind the attacks remain officially “unidentified” by local authorities.
Six Christian workers abducted in South Sudan on September 26 were released on Thursday (October 1), sources said. The Young Life South Sudan workers were traveling from Kajo Keji to Maridi, a town in Western Equatoria state, on Juba-Yambio Road when unidentified gunmen ambushed their vehicle, the ministry’s country director, Pastor David Nyoma John, told Morning Star News. “On September 26, at about 9.45pm, our Young Life leaders from Maridi were ambushed along the Juba-Yambio Road while returning from theological education in Kajo Keji,” Pastor John said. “They were taken by unknown armed group and held for about five days in the far bush under harsh conditions.” Their vehicle was burned during the ambush, he said.
The abducted workers reported that they were beaten, forced to carry heavy loads for long distances and were not given adequate food and water. They were made to sleep in the open without shelter or bedding. The assailants confiscated their personal belongings, including mobile phones, Bibles and theological training certificates, Pastor John said, adding that the workers were traumatised and required psychosocial and medical care. The workers, all native South Sudanese, were identified as Thomas Oliver, Japheth Elisama, John Simon, Justin Wilson, James Banyi, and Ezibon Yoanna. It was not immediately clear why they were released, but it appeared they were abducted as a form of punishment for their ministry.
Christians have been targeted in the country. On February 25, the body of a church pastor near Juba was found after he had been abducted on February 19. Church leaders in the region are increasingly calling for better protection and investigations into targeted killings, as the motives behind the attacks remain officially “unidentified” by local authorities.
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Date published: 10/10/2026
Feature image: Sourced from article originally published on Gateway News
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