Two engineers working for the telecom firm MTN South Sudan were over the weekend injured when their vehicle was ambushed in Yei River County, a local official said.
The incident occurred along the Tore road in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State.
Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa, the commissioner of Yei River County, told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the MTN car was ambushed along Yei-Maridi road on Sunday.
“The MTN car was going to Tore to check on an antenna for connectivity,” he explained. “Tore Payam has not been connected all this time so they were going to connect Tore and they fell into an ambush 9 miles along the Yei- Maridi, just 9 miles away from Yei and they were attacked by some armed men.”
According to the commissioner, the attackers are said to have been five in number. He said the injured MTN workers were flown to Juba for treatment.
“It was a convoy of three cars and two MTN engineers were injured but they have been flown to Juba and the bullets were removed during surgery,” he said. “According to the report I got yesterday after the surgery, they are doing well.”
Commissioner Kanyikwa blamed the rebel National Salvation Front (NAS) which is led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo for the attack on MTN workers.
“You know, in Yei, there is no other person who is responsible for crimes related to armed men in uniform apart from NAS,” he charged. “They have been in a local dialogue with commanders (SSPDF) here and then they pulled away and did not honour their commitment and they started ambushing vehicles, motorbikes, and even people moving with bicycles.”
For his part, Major Feisal John, the acting inspector of police in Yei River County, said they are investigating the incident.
NAS spokesperson Suba Samuel Manase could not immediately be reached for comment.
On June 5, the Right Revd Amosa Data Elinama, the Bishop of Morobo County of Central Equatoria State, was also attacked and kidnapped by an armed group. He was released a short while later and taken to the office of the Commissioner of Morobo. The bishop was travelling from Morobo to Bazi when he was attacked.