A Ugandan registered truck was last Friday evening torched along the Ikwoto-Tseretenya road which leads to Uganda.
According to reports from local sources, two vehicles from Kapoeta heading to Uganda fell in an ambush by unidentified gunmen.
The armed men reportedly asked the drivers to set their tracks ablaze or get killed and one driver managed to burn his vehicle. The second driver tried to set fire to his vehicle without success.
The Ikwoto Payam Chief, Joseph Lodongi, told Radio Tamazuj, “I was with the Commissioner in Imotong reconciling two communities and we finished yesterday (Friday) evening. We heard of the incident and we came straight during the night to the county. We came to find this issue but these people are available, the drivers and their conductors are all available, but the vehicle has been burned.”
He added, “The issue happened along Tseretenya road. There is a team of organized forces and youth there following up the footmarks. People now have fear even though vehicles and people are moving, but not constant as usual.”
Ikwoto County Police Warrant Officer, Gabriel Akom, confirmed the incident after traveling to the scene.
He states that the government in conjunction with the area youths launched a search to bring the culprits to book.
“The government will look for the whereabouts of these criminals, the government will search for them. They will be arraigned in court,” Akom said. “Someone who is looking for problems is a criminal. He is not a good person. The government has an upper hand and will make patrols to discover these criminals. It will make patrols to make roads passable for people.”
Lohisa Abraham Peter, the Ikwoto County youth leader, said the youth have embarked on a search for the whereabouts of the attackers to ensure the safety of travelers.
“It is bad, it is discouraging. If they accept to be arrested, we can do so. But if not, they are going to exchange fire with us because we are well armed with some police and some army,” Abraham said.
For his part, the Member of Parliament in the yet-to-be reconstituted Eastern Equatoria State Legislative Assembly, Alphonse Muras Chacha, condemned the incident.
This is the second such incident in a fortnight along the Ikwoto-Tseretenya road. Two weeks ago, a vehicle was ambushed along the same road by unidentified gunmen. No one was killed in both cases.