Eight kidnapped Christian charity workers in South Sudan who were taken by rebels earlier this week have now been released.
The Samaritan's Purse aid workers were captured by armed rebels, it was reported on Monday, but yesterday they were all released, the charity said.
Samaritan's Purse, an aid organisation led by Franklin Graham, said it was 'thankful to God' for the safety of its team, and thanked the World Food Programme for its assistance in relocating them.
A military spokesman announced the kidnapping on Monday.
'The rebels attacked and abducted eight local staff from Samaritan's Purse and they are being held to ransom. They have demanded that the organisation takes aid to them,' said Brigadier General Lul Ruai.
Samaritan's Purse said there had been no ransom request and that its team had been unharmed.
"We have been in contact with them and they have not been harmed. No ransom request has been made and we are hopeful that they will be released soon and safely," it said.
Violence, famine and unrest in South Sudan forced the US charity to evacuate most of its staff two week ago, now it 'calls on all parties to stop hostilities and allow immediate full access to distribute emergency food supplies'.
Last week, South Sudan announced plans to charge a levy of $10,000 per foreign aid worker, making it difficult for charities to stay in the region.
Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, said this was 'likely to lead to an exodus of humanitarian workers in a country that is already facing a dire humanitarian situation.
'It also makes what is happening even more opaque ... using food aid as a weapon of war, by either side.'
South Sudan has been caught in crisis since civil war began in 2013 – a major cause of the severe famine the country is now experiencing. The country was also hit by crippling hyperinflation that reached 800 per cent last year. Three million people have displaced from the region, according to the UN.
Additional reporting by Reuters
