Some 110 police officers survived death narrowly after their truck was ambushed by armed youth at Tharkueng check-point in Jur River County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Warrap State Information Minister William Wol Mayom Bol said.
Minister Bol told Radio Tamazuj that the officers were travelling from Tonj South on Sunday to attend a three-month refresher police training course in Kuajok, the capital of Warrap State.
“100 police personnel intended to come for three-month refresher training in Warrap State’s Kuajok headquarters, but before reaching headquarters Kuajok, their movement was intercepted by armed youth from Marial-Wau in Tharkueng,” he said.
“They were ambushed on the 9th. They were having escorts from Tonj South; the intervention was made by the Government of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, and they were returned back to Wau headquarters. They slept there; on the 10th, they were given a heavy escort from the Western Bahr el Ghazal State government to bring them to Warrap, but before reaching the same location, the same youth of Marial-Wau again ambushed them, and the security fought them. They penetrated the ambush, and safely, they came to the border of Warrap State and proceeded to Warrap State headquarters the same day,” he added.
Bol said there were no casualties in the incident, adding that the officers had already begun training in Warrap.
The minister thanked the neighboring Western Bahr el Ghazal state authorities for protecting and securing the police contingent.
“We thank Western Bahr el Ghazal State Government for their cooperation and accompanying the police personnel from Warrap State,” he said.
For his part, Jur River County Commissioner James Ernest Makuei confirmed the incident but said the situation had been managed. He said movement along the Kuajok-Wau road through Tharkueng had resumed due to intensified security patrols in the area.
“What had happened was a simple thing, and these people have reached Kuajok safely; our government controlled that situation, and these people reached Kuajok,” Ernest said.