Photo| Courtesy of Office of Senior Presidential Advisor on Special programs

The 27 South Sudanese nationals who were released from an Ethiopian prison for allegedly infringing on the territory of the neighboring country arrived at Juba International Airport on Sunday afternoon, 16 November 2025.

This comes nearly a year of diplomatic engagement between the two countries since their detention in December last year

The diplomatic engagement was led by the Office of the Senior Presidential Envoy for Special Programs, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the South Sudanese Embassy in Addis Ababa, according the office press unit.

At Juba International Airport, the Executive Director in the Office of the Senior Presidential Envoy, Mr. Wol Akol, represented the Envoy’s office during the reception of the returnees.

The Embassy of South Sudan in Ethiopia also provided on-ground consular support throughout the process.

The Office of the Senior Presidential Envoy expressed gratitude to the Government of Ethiopia for its cooperation and efforts in facilitating the release of the detainees.