A convoy of Sudanese traders was attacked by unknown gunmen while heading to Abiemnhom in north-western Unity State of South Sudan. The commissioners of Mayom and Abiemnhom counties have condemned the attack.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, a Sudanese trader who preferred not to be named said that three trucks loaded with goods started their journey from Sudan to South Sudan and were on their way from Diffra junction near to South Sudan’s Abiemnhom when a group of unknown armed men opened fire at the tires of the trucks.

The incident happened near the border between the claimed Dinka Ngok homeland in Abyei and Dar Misseriya in Diffra, which adjoin South Sudan near Abiemnhom. In the ambush it is said that eight traders on board the trucks were killed and 11 others injured, including two minor injuries and the rest more serious.

After the traders were killed the armed men set on fire one truck and looted all its goods. They also left behind at the scene three tri-wheel motorcycles.

For his part, Musa Isaq Musa, a businessman in Mayom said that the attack took place on Tuesday in al-Dir in the border between Sudan and South Sudan but on the soil of Sudan, when armed men opened fire on trucks of the businessmen killing five to eight traders and wounding eleven.

“We found only five bodies of our fellow traders who were shot dead during the raid and 11 wounded, and we transferred the wounded to Diffra and later they were taken to Mujlad for treatment, while we buried the five in Diffra,” he said.

He claimed that the bodies of three people were nowhere to be found. He added that they are still communicating with their brothers in Sudan to identify who are still missing and they have also reported the matter to authorities in Mayom.

“This kind of attacks on the businessmen will affect the border trade between the two nations. We traders are enemies of insecurity and we need security for our lives and our goods,” he said.

He added that the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei (UNISFA) has full information on the attacks and said it was UNIFA who came to help the victims from the area where the attacks took place and collected the bodies and the wounded to Diffra.

Musa said after they reported to the Commissioner of Mayom John Bol, they saw trucks carrying SPLA soldier heading towards the border or the location where the attacks took place.

Some traders speaking to Radio Tamazuj said that there are no soldiers along that road after the SPLA pulled back from that location making it difficult to provide security for the traders in the areas along the Sudan border with South Sudan.

“There are many SAF militias along the Sudan border… it is not safe as Khartoum gives them instructions not to allow goods to get to South Sudan and this could be part of the plan of stopping the traders from getting goods to South Sudan,” said one of the traders.

For his part, the commissioner of Mayom John Bol said that his office received the report about the attacks and said that he regrets the continuous attacks on the Sudanese traders by some elements in the Sudan soil.

He said his counterpart the commissioner of Abiemnhom went to the scene of the attack yesterday to see for himself and to find out how happened and to investigate the incident. “We condemn this kind of senseless attacks on the businessmen and call on those who are doing this to respect the cooperation agreement signed between the two nations,” he said. “The commissioner of Abiemnhom has already moved there in Wargwet footing to his border with Sudan where the incident took place,” he said

The officer said that despite the attacks his county received three trucks from Sudan who arrived in Kaikai in Mayom after the incident.

File photo: Soldiers preparing to deploy out of Mayom, Unity State (Radio Tamazuj)