South Sudan military blames rebel group for deadly bus attack
At least one person died,sevenwere woundedand 14 others abducted inan attack on a passenger bus in South Sudanon Tuesday night.
Army spokesmanGen Lul Ruai Koang saida Ugandan national died in theambushon the Juba-Nimule Highwayasthe buswastravelling from Juba to Kampala.
Theattackby unknown gunmen happenedbetween 8am and 9am in the Jebelen area, a few kilometres from Juba.
South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF Intelligence Serviceblamedthe National Salvation Front (NASrebels, but the group denied it.
NAS, led by a former army deputy boss Thomas Cirillo,hasoften in the past admitted to attackingtravellersonthe highway,sometimesfor extortionorto make a political statement.
The group refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement that formed the government of national unity led by President Salva Kiir.
In a media briefingon Wednesday, Gen Koangsaidthat security forces were the first to respond, but the attackers fled towards Labonok Payam in Juba County, Central Equatoria State.
“We have verified that NAS rebels were behind the attack,”hesaid.“In the past seven days, our intelligence personnel detected unusual movements in the area, and our joint security forces were preparing a surprise attack on their hideouts. Unfortunately, civilians became the primary targets.”
“NAS strongly refutes the lies from SSPDF spokesperson. This statement is false and must be treated with the contempt its deserves. The statement is a reaction aimed to cover up the regime failure in providing security not only on Juba-Nimule Road but also the security for the people and the territorial integrity of South Sudan” said NAS spokesperson Samuel Suba.
Although the government insistedthat onlyone person had died, the University of Bahr El Ghazal (UBG mourned the loss ofoneUstaz Joseph Thomas, a South Sudanese national who worked as a teaching assistant at the College of Agriculture. It expressed sorrow at the untimely loss, honouring his contributions and offering condolences to his family and the UBG community.
The Juba-Nimule Highway, constructed in 2012 with a grant from the US government, is South Sudan’s primary route connecting the capital to Uganda and the wider East African Community.
It is a critical corridor for the transportation of goods from Kenya to South Sudan.But, since conflict broke out in 2013 insecurity has closed many border highways, makingitthe sole operational route.
This highway has been notorious for ambushes and illegal roadblocks by militia groups. Over the years, several fatal incidents have been reported, including a 2016 attack that claimed seven lives and another in 2021 that left five dead. Despite efforts by the government to provide armed escorts, attacks persist, with the most recent incident reflecting the security challenges in the region.
Read:South Sudan deploys team to smoke out criminals on Juba highway