Four passengers were killed in a road ambush by armed assailants in Twic East County of South Sudan’s Jonglei State on Saturday, local officials said.
Twic East County Commissioner Juac Arok Juac told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the attack occurred Saturday evening when a vehicle traveling from Bor Town to Uror County was ambushed on the outskirts of Twic East.
“On Saturday at 7 a.m., a passenger vehicle was attacked at the junction linking Twic East to the northern counties of the state. The vehicle had left Bor an hour earlier and was carrying about 30 passengers, including women and children,” Juac said.
“During the attack, the driver was shot dead on the spot. Three men tried jumping off the vehicle but sustained injuries, with two dying immediately and the other later succumbing at a health facility,” he added.
Juac condemned the attack and said authorities were investigating the incident.
“We condemned this attack. We are investigating this incident to find out those involved. The attack scene is 3 kilometers from home. After hearing the gunshots, we dispatched the police, only to find that the attackers had crossed the Jonglei Canal,” he said.
Some have linked the killings to recent communal clashes between Duk and Twic East communities, but Juac dismissed the claims.
“This is not true. Among those killed is one of our sons. If the attackers were from Twic East, as some claim, they could not have killed their brother. Again, those killed are not from Duk,” he said.
Juac noted that similar attacks have occurred recently, blaming a lack of well-equipped security forces.
Meanwhile, Uror County Commissioner James Gatkhor confirmed that one of the victims was a local trader.
“Among those killed, one is a trader from Uror, with the rest from Nyirol. We are investigating the incident. We call for calm and urge relatives of the deceased not to target anyone,” Gatkhor said.
Ter Manyang, a civil society activist and executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, condemned the attack and urged dialogue.
“It is very unfortunate that these killings targeting passengers are occurring amidst the state governor’s ongoing peace tour. Whoever was involved, the act is condemnable, and we call for dialogue,” he said.