An armed group wearing uniforms of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) stopped a convoy of delivery trucks carrying food items belonging to the United Nations in Western Bahr al Ghazal and forced the drivers to take them dozens of kilometers off the main road.

A truck driver who survived the attack explained in an interview on Sunday that they were stopped 30 kilometers between Bazia and Wau by armed personnel in uniform threatening them with guns. A source with the United Nations office in Wau also confirmed the incident but authorities said they have not received any report about it.

“Our truck drivers coming from Juba on Friday were stopped by an armed group wearing the uniforms of South Sudanese army at 30 kilometers between Bazia and Wau town. They were forced to drive the trucks into the bush where they were asked to open them,” said the UN source in Wau.

“After our drivers stopped the trucks, the armed group decided to beat the drivers and helpers. They took away from them all their personal belongings and properties, including money.”.

He said the food items were offloaded about 40 km from the main road in the bush where many other people arrived and fully offloaded the truck.  

The delivery truck which was stopped carried the plate number CE-161-L and with trailer 775-UCD.

State security advisor Wol Dhol said in a separate interview when asked to comment on the matter that his office has not received any information about the incident but admitted that there was an armed group in the area where the incident took place working against the state administration.

“As a state, we have already issued security precautions and advisory to the United Nations and members of the humanitarian organizations using the road from Western Equatoria to seek escort from the army and other organised forces since there are indications of increase in criminality, gang activity, inter-communal conflicts in various parts of South Sudan and that have cost a lot of lives,” said Wol.