The government of Eastern Equatoria State has said it has deployed forces along the Torit-Kapoeta road to contain rising insecurity which has caused alarm and disrupted movement in the recent past.
State authorities said road ambushes are rampant along especially the Torit-Kapoeta road, Camp 15-Chukudum road, and the Ikotos-Tsertenya road where many lives have been lost since the beginning of the year.
Last week, a police Warrant Officer identified as Abraham Magot Bol was killed and two others, including a driver, sustained serious injuries in an ambush along the Torit-Kapoeta highway.
Maj Gen. James Enoka Monday, the commissioner of police in Eastern Equatoria State, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that security forces had been deployed to provide security along the Torit-Kapoeta road and urged the public to cooperate with them.
“There are places that are hotspot areas along the road and the government has taken responsibility to provide security and ensure there is protection along the road so that such acts of road ambush do not occur,” he said. “These forces will be following the criminals and we have sent some police forces to investigate those who have been ambushing vehicles and they will be brought to face justice.”
“I am calling on the communities not to fear as the government will provide protection,” Gen Enoka added.
A resident of Tirangore village along the Torit-Kapoeta road, Paterno Isaac, however, said they had not seen any new forces deployed apart from the ones who have been stationed in the Idolu area for the past three years.
“Maybe they are still planning but they have not sent any force here. There are forces in Idolu and they have been deployed there for the last three years because it was a hot spot where people were always killed,” he said. “It is a joint force of wildlife, prison service, police, and the army and they only patrol in morning hours that is why no incidents happen in Idolu anymore.”
On his part, Peter Lokeng Lotone, the state’s minister of local government and law enforcement agencies, blamed the ambushes and highway robberies on illegal firearms in the hands of civilians.
“The youth are part of this insecurity,” he said. “Your family members can be passengers in these vehicles so by shooting at them, you can even harm one of your relatives.”
Meanwhile, Jacob Attari, the commissioner of Torit County, appealed to the communities along roads to provide security and report any criminal activities to the authorities.
“My message to the people of Haforiere, Hiyala, Chalamani, Illieu, and Tirangore is that this is a public road that everybody uses and by ambushing people, you are a coward, robber, and criminal,” he castigated. “There is no need to ambush innocent people along the road and it must stop.”
“Highway robbery is criminal and the people of especially Hiyala and Haforiere must stop it,” Commissioner Attari added.