Truck burned to ashes in Lainya County (-)

Central Equatoria State government on Friday accused the National Salvation Front of carrying out destabilizing hostilities targeting civilians and humanitarian workers in some parts of the state.

In the last few days, four people were killed in two separate attacks against civilians by unknown gunmen along highways in Lainya County.

On September 23, two truck drivers hired to transport medical supplies to Yei River County were killed and their vehicles burned down along a highway by unknown gunmen on Saturday, according to a local official.

The victims were identified as Lemson Nyandai from Burundi and Daniel Wanjala from Kenya, while Mohammed Hashi from Somalia survived with injuries.

Both the United States Embassy in Juba and UN children agency, UNICEF strongly condemned the attack on a convoy of trucks and the killing of UN-contracted drivers along Juba-Yei Road.

Also, on Wednesday, September 27, two people were killed and four others during an attack against construction workers along the Lainya-Juba Road.

Central Equatoria Minister of Information Andruga Mabe accuses the armed group that is part of the Rome-led peace talks of being behind the attacks.

“His Excellency (Governor Adil) has noticed with great concern that the National Salvation Army of Thomas Cirillo has again staged hostilities against innocent civilians, humanitarian workers and even derailed all activities of people returning from the refugees camps,” Mabe said in a press statement.

The information minister further said the state government condemns the violence which, according to him, has derailed the return of displaced populations.

“This is intended to cause panic and fear into civilians so that they will not know what to do, and technically to impede the development activities of the state governor.”

Mabe added: “His Excellency and the state government condemn these activities of NAS and they must stop.”

The National Salvation Front was not immediately available for comment.

However, on Thursday, NAS distanced itself from the first attack in Lainya while terming it a state-sponsored terrorism.