At least nine boat passengers traveling from Upper Nile to Juba were reportedly killed at the Jurwach checkpoint along the Nile in Jonglei State’s Twic County by an unidentified group last Friday.
A survivor of the incident who declined to give his name told Radio Tamazuj they came under attack suddenly.
“The boat was carrying passengers from Upper Nile State and Unity State to Juba. We were 13 passengers, and nine were killed in the ambush, leaving four of us survivors,” he said. “The boat was taken by the criminals who attacked us. As I speak to you now, the other three survivors and I are in Bor.”
“The Government of Jonglei State should provide good security to passengers because the river is the only way for us people of the Upper Nile region, Unity State, and Ruweng to travel,” he added.
Abraham Agoot, the chairperson of Boats Union in Jonglei State, told this publication on Wednesday that two children and their mother were among the boat passengers killed.
“Nine passengers are confirmed dead following the ambush of a boat with passengers at the Jurwach checkpoint in Twic County,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nyakenya Johannes Keah Ruai, the Unity State information minister, said she was not aware of the attack.
Efforts to reach the Jonglei State Ministry of Information and Telecommunications were futile.
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