The attack, which targeted civilians travelling between Bor and Panyijiar County, left survivors injured and created renewed fears about riverine travel in the region.
The boat was carrying 78 passengers when it was ambushed by armed assailants suspected to be from Yirol East County.
Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday, Gabriel Magok Bol, Panyijiar County’s Commissioner, confirmed that the attack targeted members of the Panyijiar community.
“The boat was carrying 78 passengers, not 53. Out of those, 5 are still missing until now. We recovered two dead bodies – one yesterday and the other today. Five people were injured, including one who was rescued yesterday and four others today. Another five passengers left for Bor town safely, and the remaining 61 people are now present in Panyijiar headquarters,” Magok explained.
According to him, the armed youth from Jonglei State were not involved in the incident.
“We can’t accuse the youth from Jonglei State because the record we have shows no such cases. The attackers came from Yirol East County. This is the second such incident between us and Yirol East. Two weeks ago, eight people were kidnapped in the same area,” he said.
He said among the passengers were two women, three girls, while the rest were male merchants.
Meanwhile, Zachariah Manyang Puok, a civil society leader from the Children Charity Organization (CCO) in Unity State, described the killings as a serious failure of law enforcement.
“It is very unfortunate to hear of the death of one man who was killed by criminals who were not arrested. This is the biggest problem for the authorities because when criminals kill people and are not brought to justice, others will continue with such killings,” he stated.
The incident is part of a troubling pattern of similar ambushes and kidnappings hitting Panyijiar traders in Yirol East County, Lakes State.
In early September 2025, eight traders from Panyijiar County were abducted while travelling by boat through Yirol East. The traders included one woman who gave birth in captivity. They also lost livestock, 62 cattle and one goat. The traders were later rescued and handed over without any ransom being paid.
Similarly, in June, a case involved a boat of 27 people and over 60 cattle, attacked just after it left Panyijiar.
Armed youth allegedly from Yirol East ambushed the boat. Eighteen people escaped; eight remained kidnapped.
Also, in early July, reports of attacks near Wangthok Checkpoint and Shambek Port, where a boat of 53 traders was ambushed.
Several people died, others went missing, and many were forced to seek refuge in swamps. The survivors later returned.
These repeated attacks suggest systemic insecurity for riverine travel and trade between Panyijiar and regions in Lakes State.
