Truck burned in highway ambush by gunmen. |Thursday, 26th May 2022| Credit: unknown.

Seven passengers reportedly survived when their vehicle descended into an ambush carried out by unknown gunmen in Maridi County of Western Equatoria State.

The Commissioner, Mirri Alfred Matias confirms that the incident occurred in Golobi area along the Maridi – Yambio road.

He told Eye Radio that the lorry bearing the plate number BY SSD 856, was carrying seven people when it descended in the trap of suspected armed criminals on Thursday night.

“There’s an incident which happened yesterday at around 11PM at certain area called Golobi almost to the border of Maridi and Mundri West, that vehicle was coming from Yambio and it was bypassing Maridi, it went and entered an ambush of unknown gunmen so they burnt the vehicle,” says Commissioner Alfred.

The attackers burned down the truck, but the travelers escaped under the cover of darkness.

Matia says there were no casualties reported except one SSPDF soldier who sustained a minor head injury.

“The attackers also injured a soldier, but the injury is not so bad and he’s now under control in the hospital, and all the passengers in the vehicle they have been rescued in Barol in Langua , they went and rescue the situation. So now the situation is normal,” he narrated.

The motive of the attack is not clear, and the armed men have not been traced.

Incidents of road ambushes are not new along the highways of Western Equatoria State.

There have been reported cases of road ambushes along the roads, with travelers either killed or kidnapped in the area which has had a heavy presence of different armed actors during the civil war.