Passengers were on Thursday stripped naked and robbed by armed men along the Torit-Kapoeta road in Eastern Equatoria State, eyewitnesses and officials said.
Osiru James, a driver who sustained injuries in the attack, told Radio Tamazuj on Friday that the assailants were eight in number.
“After we left Lowareng, we reached the first bridge, and at the second bridge, that is where the incident happened. One of the criminals crossed ahead of us and ambushed us at the front,” he said.
“They stopped us and started throwing stones at us, beating us with sticks, asking for money and the people I brought were all women going for marriage. All these women were beaten and their properties were taken, even they took from me 150 USD and 30,000 SSP. They removed our shoes and took almost everything,” he added.
The driver called on the government to provide security along the road by deploying security forces so that citizens can travel without fear.
Arkangelo Lokolimoi, an administrator of Budi County, confirmed the incident and said the attack on the passengers occurred on Wednesday at around 3:00 pm between Camp 15 and Lowareng areas.
“People were attacked at Lochorinyatom between Camp 15 and Lowareng where they were beaten, properties taken, nobody died but people were beaten and robbed, “ he said.
“The issue is still under police investigation and the police there say there is no suspect arrested and they are still investigating the incident,” he added.
Changa Thomas Oker, a medical officer at Torit Civil Hospital, said the injured driver is currently on medication at the facility. “We have one of the drivers being attended to by our clinical officer who was on duty.”