By Garang Malak

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At least one person died, seven were wounded and 14 others abducted in an attack on a passenger bus in South Sudan on Tuesday night.

Army spokesman Gen Lul Ruai Koang said a Ugandan national died in the ambush on the Juba-Nimule Highway as the bus was travelling from Juba to Kampala.

The attack by unknown gunmen happened between 8am and 9am in the Jebelen area, a few kilometres from Juba. 

South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) Intelligence Service blamed the National Salvation Front (NAS) rebels, but the group denied it.

NAS, led by a former army deputy boss Thomas Cirillo, has often in the past admitted to attacking travellers on the highway, sometimes for extortion or to make a political statement.

The group refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement that formed the government of national unity led by President Salva Kiir.

In a media briefing on Wednesday, Gen Koang said that security forces were the first to respond, but the attackers fled towards Labonok Payam in Juba County, Central Equatoria State. 

“We have verified that NAS rebels were behind the attack,” he said. “In the past seven days, our intelligence personnel detected unusual movements in the area, and our joint security forces were preparing a surprise attack on their hideouts. Unfortunately, civilians became the primary targets.” 

"NAS strongly refutes the lies from SSPDF spokesperson. This statement is false and must be treated with the contempt its deserves. The statement is a reaction aimed to cover up the regime failure in providing security not only on Juba-Nimule Road but also the security for the people and the territorial integrity of South Sudan" said NAS spokesperson Samuel Suba.

Although the government insisted that only one person had died, the University of Bahr El Ghazal (UBG) mourned the loss of one Ustaz Joseph Thomas, a South Sudanese national who worked as a teaching assistant at the College of Agriculture. It expressed sorrow at the untimely loss, honouring his contributions and offering condolences to his family and the UBG community.

The Juba-Nimule Highway, constructed in 2012 with a grant from the US government, is South Sudan's primary route connecting the capital to Uganda and the wider East African Community.

It is a critical corridor for the transportation of goods from Kenya to South Sudan. But, since conflict broke out in 2013 insecurity has closed many border highways, making it the sole operational route.

This highway has been notorious for ambushes and illegal roadblocks by militia groups. Over the years, several fatal incidents have been reported, including a 2016 attack that claimed seven lives and another in 2021 that left five dead. Despite efforts by the government to provide armed escorts, attacks persist, with the most recent incident reflecting the security challenges in the region.

Read: South Sudan deploys team to smoke out criminals on Juba highway