Armed men are reportedly demanding 9 million South Sudanese Pounds after killing two traders and kidnapping others along the Juba-Nimule highway over the weekend.

This is according to traders at Gumbo Market at the outskirts of Juba.

The traders this morning shut down the marketplace to mourn and protest the death of their two colleagues and the kidnapping.

“There is no business for three days [because] we are mourning the death of some traders who died three days ago,” said Geoffrey Semanda, a traders at Gumbo Market.

They said the armed men linked to an opposition group hijacked a passenger vehicle and kidnapped the men who left Nimule to Juba between Jebalan and Aru- Junction on Sunday.

Some of the traders travelled from Uganda.

According to those who survived the incident, 15 people are still missing, after the killing of the two traders.

The kidnappers reportedly demand SSP 9 million as ransom for those in their custody.

Semanda said they managed to fundraise over SSP 3 million. The amount was reportedly sent to the kidnappers, but the traders haven’t received any feedback.

The traders have appealed to the government to rescue those kidnapped and provide security escorts along the highway.

“Help get the dead bodies so that we can get the bodies. The other appeal is the government should improve the security along the road as it was previously,” said Hassan Musa.

The identity of the armed kidnappers has yet to be made public.

However, areas along the Juba-Nimule road have seen heightened insecurity involving clashes between the SSPDF and the opposition, National Salvation Front, NAS, and between SPLA-IO and NAS.