By Baraka John
What began as a routine business trip turned into a nightmare for Kefa Gibson, a resident of Yambio County. On his way to Juba to finalize a supply deal, Gibson found himself staring down the barrels of rifles, his life and those of fellow passengers, hanging by a thread.
“We were about halfway between Yambio and Maridi when it happened,” Gibson recalls. “Armed men in uniform suddenly emerged from the bush and blocked the road with logs. The driver had no choice but to stop.”
What unfolded next has become tragically familiar along the roads of Western Equatoria: daylight robbery at gunpoint. Speaking in a mixture of Arabic and local dialects, the attackers ordered everyone out of the vehicle and marched them into the forest. Children cried, women prayed, and many, like Gibson, feared the worst.
“They took everything: phones, jewelry, money, food. We were barefoot and helpless,” he said, his voice shaking. “We had to walk through the bush for almost a kilometer before we found our ransacked vehicle.”
Such road ambushes have become a grim reality across the region. Civilians, aid workers, business operators, and even government officials are now at constant risk while traveling on the main highways. Remote stretches of road, where government security presence is sparse, have become hotspots for organized criminal attacks.
State Police Commissioner, Major Philip Madut Tong, acknowledged the challenge. “We have forces deployed at certain points, but these criminals are smart. They strike in areas where our forces aren’t present,” he said.
The July 22 incident is the latest in a string of violent ambushes:
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April 2025: Four motorcycle riders were killed on the Nzara–Tombura road; three others were wounded.
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May: Gunmen ambushed a Ugandan construction vehicle in Ezo County’s Yengiri area, killing the driver and looting equipment.
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March: A vehicle carrying mourners from Yambio to Juba was attacked just 15 kilometers outside the town. Three were killed, several others injured, and all property taken.
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July 16: An ambush on the Mundri–Juba road left one dead and two injured.
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July 23: A boda boda rider was brutally attacked and robbed of his motorcycle.
Civil society leaders say the violence is a symptom of a deeper problem. Wanga Emmanuel, Director of New Vision for Sustainable Development and chair of the state civil society network, emphasized the urgent need for disarmament.
“As long as civilians remain armed and the government lacks control over these areas, ambushes will persist,” Wanga warned.
His concerns are shared by lawmakers. Abdalla Juma Rezallah, Chairperson of the State Parliamentary Security Committee, described the situation as “alarming” and vowed to bring the issue before the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
Once vibrant corridors of trade and connection, the roads of Western Equatoria are now marred by fear and bloodshed. For survivors like Kefa Gibson, the trauma lingers and so does the question: When will it be safe to travel again?
This story is reported with a grant from the Journalists for Human Rights under the “Tackling Mis/disinformation Project” funded by the Peace and Stabilization Program of the Government of Canada