Africa-Press – South-Sudan. At least eight traders were kidnapped and more than 60 cattle stolen after a boat was ambushed by armed youth over the weekend in Yirol East County, Lakes State, near the border with Jonglei State.
The traders were traveling from Panyijiar County in Unity State to Juba by boat when the attack occurred.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Tuesday evening, Panyijiar County Commissioner Gabriel Majok Bol confirmed the incident.
Majok said the boat was carrying 27 people, along with 66 animals — 65 cattle and one goat — when it departed Panyijiar last week. Of the passengers, 18 survived the attack: 11 reached Bor in Jonglei State, while seven others returned to Panyijiar on Monday. Eight individuals remain missing and are confirmed to have been kidnapped, according to the commissioner.
“We spoke with one of the passengers who was abducted. The attackers are suspected to be from Yirol East County,” Majok said. “The incident took place just after the boat crossed into Yirol East, on the border with Jonglei.”
The commissioner also alleged that the kidnappers were dressed in uniforms resembling those of the South Sudan police and are demanding 20 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP) from the victims’ families.
“The phones of the kidnapped victims have been switched off. When they do speak with us, they say we should send money, but we fear they won’t release the hostages even if the ransom is paid,” Majok added.
He said he contacted his counterpart in Yirol East, Commissioner Manyang Luke, who denied that the attackers came from his county.
One of the survivors, cattle trader Moses Kai, told Radio Tamazuj that the attackers opened fire without warning.
“They were six armed men in police uniforms,” Kai said. “They didn’t ask questions. They just shot at the boat and kidnapped eight people along with 62 cattle and one goat.”
Lake State’s Acting Minister of Information, William Koji, said the state government is not responsible for incidents that occur on the river.
“The river is under the jurisdiction of the national government,” Koji said. “There are many criminals along the river from Jonglei, Unity, and Lake States. River security needs to be addressed at the national level.”
Human rights activist Ter Manyang Gatwech, executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), called on the governors of the three states to convene an urgent meeting to address insecurity along the river.
“The governors’ forum should prioritize the issue,” Gatwech said. “Such a meeting could help reduce the frequency of violent incidents reported along the river.”
This is not the first such incident in the area. In June, four traders from Unity state were killed and 43 others rescued following a similar river ambush near Shambe Port in Yirol East.
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