A section of the Lirya road in Eastern Equatoria State. Courtesy photo.

A mother in Eastern Equatoria State says her two young children were abducted last evening by unknown armed men who ambushed and attacked their vehicle along the Lirya–Khor Engliz road.

Viola Osman said she was travelling with her children from Juba to Kapoeta when eight-armed men stopped their vehicle, robbed passengers of phones and money, and abducted her two children.

The children have been identified as Stella Dominic Longuny, aged 4, and Alfred Dominic Longuny, aged 2.

According to her, the attackers were armed with machetes, spears, knives, guns and other weapons, and were dressed in civilian clothes.

“Yesterday at around 6pm on the Lirya road near Khor Engliz, eight people came onto the road and told us to stop, and we stopped the car. They ordered passengers to hand over money and phones, and when some said they had none, they searched their pockets and took phones and money,” she narrated in an interview with Eye Radio.

“He came back again and demanded more money, and I told him there was no money because he had already taken the bag. He then forcefully snatched my young boy. When I tried to take him back, one of them pointed a gun at my head. Another one said since they had taken everything, including the children, it was enough and they should leave,” she explained.

She added that security personnel at a nearby checkpoint later conducted a search operation but did not find the children, although the search is still ongoing.

The mother is now appealing to authorities to help recover her children.

Authorities in Eastern Equatoria State have not yet released an official statement on the incident.