Juba-Bor highway. |Courtesy/ARC.

A police official has declared the Juba-Bor Road reopened for travelers after it was inaccessible on Wednesday following an attack on cattle traders that left 22 people dead in Mogiri Payam of Juba County.

The transport route was temporarily closed following a violent clash between an unidentified armed group and cattle traders from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).

Jonglei State Police Commissioner Major General John Bak, confirmed that traffic along the highway resumed as of Thursday. He added that security personnel are actively patrolling and escorting vehicles from Juba to Jonglei border to ensure their safety.

In an interview with Eye Radio on Friday, General Bak explained that the road closure was a precautionary measure due to fears of further attacks.

“The situation is back to normalcy following the incident. The first day we could not move the vehicles due the fear of the attacks or the criminal maybe still on the road. Currently, the situation is clam the traffic is normal,” he said.

“The highway is secured because there was deployment of forces from Juba because the area where the incident occurred is under Juba jurisdiction, so the national government deployed forces on the road.”

“There are forces that are escorting the vehicles up to Jonglei state’s border so the travelers and citizen can move freely and safely.”

Bak urged travelers to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activities along the route, stressing that public cooperation is essential to maintaining security.

The reopening of the highway followed a high-level visit by the governors of Central Equatoria and Jonglei, and GPAA Chief Administrator to the scene of the attack to diffuse communal tension and restore stability along the highway. They pledged to coordinate efforts to address inter-communal violence and cattle-related attacks in their borders.

Violent attacks targeting travelers and cattle traders along the road have been reported in recent months, leading to deaths, injuries, and the loss of properties.

In October, 50 herds of cattle being driven to Juba for sale by GPAA traders were stolen by armed assailants in an attack along the Juba-Bor road.

On 29th September, Jonglei Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nyalele John Chuol was attacked and robbed by “armed criminals” who laid ambush to her vehicle along the Juba-Bor Highway, the state government said.

The minister was returning from Juba, where she had gone for a government mission, when armed assailants opened fire on her vehicle, riddling it with bullets and forcing her to stop.