A journalist in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State was robbed at gunpoint Monday night, authorities said.
Benjamin Bongomin Walter Joshua, a 34-year-old journalist with Foundation FM Maridi and Anisa FM Yambio, was accosted by armed assailants while riding his motorcycle home around 8 p.m., police confirmed.
Bongomin told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that the robbery occurred as he traveled along the Yabongo-IKpiro road after leaving church activities.
“A man suddenly emerged with a gun, fired in the air, and stood in my path,” he said. “I tried to turn back but lost control and fell. The gunman fired again—the bullet nearly hit my head. I crawled away, and he took my motorbike.”
Western Equatoria State Police Commissioner Philip Madut Tong said the attackers, whose faces were covered, fled immediately after the robbery.
“We urge the public to avoid walking or riding alone at night and to report suspicious activity,” Madut said.
Ann Tuna Richard, the state’s acting minister of information, condemned the attack, calling journalists a “vital link between the government and the people.”
“Threats against them are threats against democracy,” Tuna said, vowing to pursue the perpetrators.
The incident follows a February report by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan documenting arson and intimidation against media workers in the state.