Gunmen ambush Sudanese refugees in in Warrap

JUBA — Gunmen ambushed a vehicle transporting Sudanese refugees in South Sudan’s Warrap State on Sunday, shooting and wounding the driver and robbing passengers of valuables, local police said, describing the attack as a “terrorist act” targeting vulnerable civilians.

The incident occurred at approximately 06:00PM local time in the Mathawan village as a Land Cruiser was transporting 14 refugees from the disputed Abyei region to the Yida refugee settlement via Twic County.

Police Inspector at Ajak-Kuac, Peter Marol Maluil, told Sudans Post today that the attackers laid an ambush on the highway between Abyei and Ajak-Kuac Payam.

He said the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle, seriously injuring the driver in the leg before looting the passengers.

“What happened is that 14 people were leaving Abyei Town using a four-door Land Cruiser heading to Yida refugee settlement when it fell into an ambush, leaving a soldier injured on the foot,” Maluil said, referring to the driver.

“The attackers shot several times and took valuables such as money and phones and vanished immediately at Mathawan… before they fled,” he recounted.

The injured driver has been evacuated to Mother Teresa Hospital for treatment, while the refugees remain stranded in Ajak-Kuac, searching for alternative transport to complete their journey to the Yida camp.

Maluil stated that security forces were deployed to the scene to hunt down the perpetrators, but no arrests have been made as the attackers disappeared into the bush.

He noted that the highway has become increasingly dangerous due to the proliferation of illicit arms in the hands of unidentified bandits.

The ambush underscores the fragility of security in the region. Last week, Twic County Commissioner John Mabior Marup issued a directive banning night-time drumming and social gatherings in an effort to curb rising rates of criminal banditry.

Separately, authorities in neighboring Unity State reported on Tuesday that they have deployed troops to intercept armed cattle raiders believed to be returning with hundreds of stolen cows from “a neighboring state.”

State Minister of Information Nyakenya Johannes Keah confirmed that security forces are monitoring the movement of armed youth from Mayom County who are currently navigating the swampy areas from Warrap toward Mayom County areas.

“We have received reports that the cattle looters are in the middle of the toic heading to Mayom county,” Nyakenya said. “But we have deployed the forces on ground at the outskirts of the town to monitor their movement… and we will immediately apprehend them.”

She revealed that the raiders had reportedly clashed among themselves in the bush over the distribution of the stolen cattle.

Nyakenya added that the Commander of the SSPDF Division 4, Gen. Matthew Puljang, is coordinating the operation.

“Commander of Division 4, Puljang, is on ground with forces and we get briefed about his readiness to arrest them and hand over the culprits,” she said.