The South Sudan National Security Services (NSS) nabbed 12 suspected highway aggressors said to be behind the abductions, robberies and other dangerous criminal activities like murder in the Equatoria region.  

The suspected armed criminals are currently under investigation in the national security services facilities.

In a press conference held in Juba last week, Spokesperson for the South Sudan National Security Services David John Kumuri said the suspects are ‘notorious criminal elements’ who are equally dangerous.

‘‘They will be treated as a national security threat because we considered them as notorious criminal elements. They are going to be investigated,” Kumuri said.

He linked to the frequent highway armed robberies and ransom related crimes.

He further added that the arrest and detention of most of these members had translated into the reduction of highway-related crimes by 90 per cent in Equatoria region.

 “So far the security authorities have taken these acts as serious security threats to the national security that requires prompt and decisive action in the context of their mandates. Thus, the arrest and detention of most [these] members of the groups [have] amounted to reduction of highway-related crimes and security threat by about 90 per cent,” he stressed.

Highway ambushes

Kumuri revealed that the group has been hijacking vehicles at gunpoint and abducting both South Sudanese and foreign nationals primarily with the intention of extorting money in form of ransom.

“The group has [been] torturing, maiming and to some extent executing or killing if relatives of the captives or hostages failed to pay ransom,” he revealed.

 “These acts of dreadful and criminal nature have been in commission for a long time and have been endangering the safety of travelers. [These has] curtailed the movement of goods and supplies to areas of need within the country.”

He further revealed that the recent incidences have been the abduction of three South Sudanese and an Ethiopian along Juba-Terekeka highway, and nine others including seven South Sudanese and two Ugandans on the same road.

He said the abductors demands for a $60,000 ransom for a traveler of Somali origin, adding that the groups have caused a lot of physical and mental threats, as well as financial losses to people in the country.

He disclosed that some criminals use the former UN protection of civilian sites to escape from arrest.

He called on public to work collectively with security to avail information.

The areas for commissions of the crimes are Juba Yei, Juba-Terekeka, Juba- Mundri and Juba-Nimule highways, according to him.

In last few months there have been reports of road ambushes along major highways with travelers either killed or kidnapped.

In April this year, five people were killed and three others injured when gunmen ambushed a convoy of trucks returning to Uganda on the Juba-Nimule Road.

The Juba-Nimule highway connects the capital of South Sudan to the border with Uganda, the main route Kenyan drivers use to ferry transit goods to South Sudan. 

The highway is notorious for ambushes and illegal roadblocks by some of the militia groups in South Sudan. 

In the same month, Juba-Yei road, over five people also lost their lives in the same road ambush where most of them were Ugandan drivers.

In April this year, one person killed and three others went to missing after unknown bandits ambushed a UN truck on Mundri-Juba road on Sunday.

The country returned to normalcy after seven years of war in February last year, following the formation of a transitional government of national unity.

However, some groups have refused to sign the peace deal, allowing continued sporadic attacks on civilians across the country.