Hello everyone :) !!! Hope you are all doing well I’m sharing this to make our situation clear for anyone reading for the first time. We are a group of trans and queer refugees currently based in Juba, South Sudan. For the past 6 years, we have been under UNHCR protection, moving through refugee camps including Kakuma in Kenya and Gorom in South Sudan. Recently, three of our group members had reached the final stage of their asylum process and were preparing to travel to Canada this month on date 18th Last Friday, while returning from an IOM appointment in Juba, six of us were taken by an unidentified group of individuals wearing black masks. We were forced into a vehicle with tinted windows and transported to an unknown location. We have now been held here for approximately one week. Conditions: confined in a small room with minimal light sleeping on the floor high mosquito exposure limited food (one meal per day shared among six people) very limited water We are physically weak and experiencing significant emotional distress. We were instructed to contact family members for money and warned that we would “disappear” if we did not comply. We do not have family here to support us. When we mentioned UNHCR, we were told not to contact them or the police. After repeated requests, I was allowed brief access to my phone solely to ask for help. The group is demanding $1,800 for our release. We are kindly requesting urgent support, visibility and assistance. Any help, sharing or boosting of this message could make a critical difference.

Support link is in my profile. Thank you