JUBA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Wednesday it has stepped up security patrols around the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal town of Upper Nile state, north of South Sudan.

This follows the kidnapping of Emmanuel Obayi, a nutrition officer working with the International Medical Corps in Malakal PoC on Oct. 27.

"UNMISS soldiers and police increased perimeter security patrols around the PoC site. We also reached out to various stakeholders, including the state government, humanitarian partners, and local armed groups, to gather information and verify the whereabouts of the individual in question," Ben Malor, the chief public information officer of UNMISS, told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

He revealed that the kidnapping incident was reported to the Mission leadership on Oct. 27 through its Malakal field office, stressing that UNMISS is ready to retrieve the kidnapped humanitarian worker.

"In 2023, there were two similar incidents. In October, a UNMISS national staff member was reported missing in western Bahr El Ghazal State; officials took urgent steps to find him, and he was released soon after," he said. In June, a UN police officer was similarly reported missing in the Malakal PoC and was later found.

"It's important to note that UNMISS has faced numerous attacks on humanitarian workers, resulting in the tragic loss of approximately 42 lives in 2023," Malor said. Enditem

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