Crime

Road Ambush: Ugandan nuns killed in South Sudan enroute to Juba

Gunmen ambushed five people on the Juba-Nimule route, killing five of them.

The individuals were attacked on their way to the Loa Parish Centenary Celebrations from Loa Parish in Torit Diocese, Eastern Equatoria Province, South Sudan.

Sr Mary Aboud, Mother Superior for 12 years, and a Sr Regina were recognized as the deceased. Leone, the third victim, was burned to death in the automobile they were traveling in.

A boda boda rider, the fourth victim, was killed by a truck fleeing the incident. By the time of publication, the other victim had not been identified.

According to the Governor’s Office of Eastern Equatoria Province, Joakino Francis, a former journalist who was driving a bus ahead of the nuns, escaped the attack with other passengers last evening.

Ugandans are reported to be Sr Regina and Leo.

According to reports, Sr Aboud’s body had already been sent to Juba, while Sr Regina’s was still being transported to the capital.

“I’m sorry to inform you that things have turned sour today following yesterday’s colorful celebration. On Juba Nimule Road, there were ambushes. Two religious sisters [were] killed…,” stated a source familiar with the ambush who asked to remain anonymous.

“The body of Sr Regina has just been discovered in the neighboring thicket where they were attacked, where she bled to death. Leone, my cousin, was killed and burned in the car. The truck is still engulfed in flames. My mother and sister have just driven past the scene of the accident. They’ve arrived in Juba and are on their way back. Sr Alice Jurugo, Mother Superior, was still at Loa. Last night, I traveled back in the Vice President’s Convoy. The insider went on to say, “We pray for the souls of the departed.”

The Ugandan government has yet to respond to the tragedy with a statement. Both the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Jeje Odongo, and his deputy, Henry Oryem Okello, did not return our calls.

Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso’s phone number was not accessible at the time of publication.

Mr Daniel Justine Buolo, a police spokeswoman in Juba, told Xinhua News Agency: “What happened on the Juba-Nimule route is very bad.” Three persons were killed when a car was ambushed approximately 10 a.m. One was burned in the car, and another died on the route to Aru-Junction hospital after being transported there,” Mr Buolo said, adding that no arrests had been made thus far.

The fatalities come a week after two people were killed and three others were injured in separate attacks on the same road.

The perpetrators of the attacks remain unknown. Police in Juba said yesterday that no one had claimed credit for the attack and that no one had been arrested in connection with it.

Following clashes between different factions of the South Sudan Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in South Sudan last week, sources inside First Lt Gen Simon Gatwech Dual’s camp warned they would carry out ambushes on the Juba-Nimule highway if Vice President Dr. Riek Machar clung to power.

According to sources on the ground, South Sudanese forces attacked the region shortly after the ambush and arrested a number of people suspected of being the gunmen, leading them to bushes for execution. However, this version could not be independently validated.

The centenary celebrations at Loa Parish were attended by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, as well as a number of government officials and other guests. Thousands of Christian revelers came from all over the world, including Uganda’s Adjumani, Moyo, and Amuru districts.

President Kiir praised the Church for its role in providing moral and spiritual guidance to the people of South Sudan during the celebrations. The President asked the faithful to continue to be the voice of peacebuilding, according to a statement released by the Presidential Press Unit.

According to the release, “the President also urged to inhabitants of Eastern Equatoria State and across the country who are still in refugee camps to return home and join hands in the development of the country.”

Following the celebration, the vice president’s convoy is said to have traveled by road to Juba without incident.

After the morning ambush, the road was reopened, allowing normal business to resume.

Conflicts between rebels

Two weeks ago, violent battle erupted in the SPLA-IO, pitting Dr Machar’s supporters against the renegade First Lt Gen Gatwech.

After DR Machar’s enemies announced that he had been removed as leader of the party and its military forces, fighting began. Hundreds of people were killed and injured. Later, President Salva Kiir met with the group leaders and told them to keep clear and observe the truce.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and a number of other organizations issued a joint statement urging all parties to avoid fighting.

President Kiir was praised by the group for ending violence within the SPLM/A-IO as well as for resolving the current dispute amicably.

“This proactive measure demonstrates the leadership of the Republic of South Sudan’s capability to address the difficulties and issues confronting the country, as well as their resolve not to return to conflict,” the statement adds.

The backbone of the Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is Chapter Two, which calls for a Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements. The communiques says the full implementation of the provisions of this section of the Peace Agreement without further delay, is expected to significantly reduce incidents of fighting and clashes throughout the country, and create an enabling environment for the implementation of the remaining Chapters of the R-ARCSS.

Shortly after gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan became entangled in a series of hostilities. After ongoing delays in the implementation of the 2018 deal struck in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, efforts to amicably resolve the problems appear to be on shaky foundation.

Ugandans have been killed in South Sudan this year.
On March 29, at least nine Ugandans were killed in an ambush in South Sudan. Eight fisherman were slain by South Sudanese gunmen at Odujo Landing Site in Kajo-Keji County, on the River Nile, which Uganda and South Sudan share.

On April 1, gunmen assaulted a convoy of trucks returning to Uganda on the Juba-Nimule Road, killing five Ugandans and injuring three more. The three trucks were ambushed around 6 a.m. in the Kit 2 region, according to a military officer at a checkpoint on the Juba-Nimule Road.

Around the same time, four Ugandan truck drivers were slain in an ambush on the Yei-Juba route by unknown gunmen.

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