The head of the UN mission in the country says eight private sector employees who were kidnapped in Juba last week have been released by their abductors.

David Shearer says the employees include four international workers and four South Sudanese.

They were employed by a private company to drill a borehole when they were abducted on Friday near the UN House in Jebel suburb in Juba and released on Sunday.

In a statement, the mission’s head, David Shearer says the abductees were all released unharmed after successful negotiations led by the South Sudan Security Services.

The statement was emailed to Eye Radio this morning by the mission’s spokesperson, Daniel Dickinson.

It says the workers were abducted while drilling a water point near the Protection of the Civilian site at the UN House in Jebel Kujur, South West of Juba.

The statement does not mention the identity of the abductors but the statement says UNMISS will support efforts to hold the culprits accountable.

Mr. Shearer says the mission is scaling up its security surveillance and patrols within and around the sites of protection of civilians at the UN House to monitor and respond to any such criminal activity.