Western Equatoria State Governor Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro has urged citizens in the state to be on the alert after a number of trucks were ambushed and robbed at gunpoint. 

Miraya FM reported that the governor’s office has received several reports of robberies carried out by armed attackers on trucks carrying food and merchandise to Wau and beyond.

“This has never happened before and we need to stop it by all means… I am advising all those who are doing this to stop. Whoever is hearing me must stop looting vehicles on the road because these goods are going to people in need,” he said.

Owing to the rains, the Yambio-Tambura-Wau road is reported to be passable but with difficulty and only for light vehicles.

Poachers arrested

The Wildlife Service has arrested nine armed poachers in Southern National Park in Western Equatoria, according to a report in the 19 July edition of the weekly newspaper New Nation.

Acting State Director Lt-Col. Joseph Waure said they confiscated from the poachers bush meat of eland, hartebeest and baboon: “We laid an ambush but only managed to arrest nine of them, along with six AKM rifles, eleven bicycles and 114 pieces of dry meat.”

Five of the suspects come from Wulu County of Lake state, he said.

The wildlife official announced that the meat and bicycles will be auctioned and the money will go to the wildlife fund, New Nation reported, while noting that the Yambio commissioner had called for the meat to be publically burned to discourage poaching.

File photo: Governor Joseph Bakosoro (Radio Tamazuj)