Passengers abducted along Juba–Mundri road recount ordeal

Individuals abducted a week ago along the Juba–Mundri Road have recounted their ordeal after being released unharmed following four days in captivity.

The passengers were among between 20 and 25 people reportedly abducted when armed men ambushed vehicles travelling along the road in Western Equatoria State.

The abductees were later released and transported to Juba and Yambio in vehicles hired by former Speaker and Presidential Advisor for Governance, Joseph Ngere Paskio.

According to the survivors, the attackers first ordered passengers to unload goods from their vehicles before forcing them into the bush.

They said two additional Land Cruiser vehicles were later stopped, with their passengers and goods also taken.

The abductees said they were then forced to carry the goods as the armed men moved them through the bush, warning that anyone who attempted to escape would be shot.

One survivor described the ordeal: “We were travelling from Juba to Mundri when we fell into an ambush. We were asked to all lie down. After that, they asked us to go into the bush. Shortly afterwards, two Land Cruisers also came and were stopped. Everything on the vehicles was taken. We were asked to carry all the goods. We moved for four days, but nothing was done to us. On the fifth day, we were released. We were ten women plus other men.”

Another survivor said the group spent nights in remote areas while being moved from one location to another.

“All of us in the vehicles were asked to carry things. We were told that anyone who tried to escape would be shot dead. We walked until night and slept in a mountainous area. In the morning, we woke up and continued walking because we did not know where they were taking us.”

The survivors said the group included 10 women as well as men from different communities.

The incident was first reported on September 28, when the Director of Lui Payam said two vehicles had been burned in an ambush along the Yambio–Mundri road and that between 20 and 25 passengers had been taken by the attackers.

Speaking during a visit to Lui Payam following the release, Presidential Advisor for Governance Joseph Ngere Paskio welcomed the safe return of the abductees and called for the incident not to be framed along ethnic lines.

“What happened to you was done by our people here. Thank God you came out unharmed. Do not take it from one side,” Ngere said.

He said the victims came from different ethnic backgrounds, rejecting suggestions that the incident should be viewed as a confrontation between particular communities.

“I am hearing a lot that the Moru want to close the road for Zande, but this is not true. Those abducted are from mixed tribes—Baka, Avukaya, Moru and even Burundians,” he said.

The release comes amid continued concerns over insecurity along major roads connecting Western Equatoria State with Juba, with attacks on civilian vehicles raising concerns over the safety of passengers and commercial traffic.