Fear of kidnappings after deadly bus attack in South Sudan

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A long-distance bus has been attacked by gunmen on a main road south of the capital Juba in South Sudan, killing at least one person and possibly abducting several others, the army said.

The passenger vehicle, which was en route to the Ugandan capital Kampala, was attacked on Tuesday morning.

Footage from the scene shows flames engulfing the bus and black smoke rising into the air.

Despite a peace deal ending years of civil war in South Sudan, insecurity remains high in many parts of the country.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang told the BBC that one person, a Ugandan man, had been killed and eight wounded. He added that seven others were still missing and it was believed they may have been abducted.

General Koang accused a rebel group, the National Salvation Front (NAS), of being behind the attack.

The group, led by former Deputy Chief of Army Staff General Thomas Cirilo Swaka, operates in areas south of Juba and other parts of Central Equatoria State.

NAS, which refused to sign the 2018 peace deal, has not commented on the bus attack.

Earlier, the army spokesman told Radio Tamazuj that soldiers sent to the scene of the accident had repelled the attackers.

Other violent incidents also took place on the road connecting Juba to the southern border town of Nimule.

In August 2022, 11 passengers – South Sudanese and Ugandans – were killed and several others injured when their vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen.

And a year earlier, two Catholic nuns from South Sudan were murdered along the same highway as they traveled back to Juba.

More BBC stories about South Sudan:

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(Getty Images/BBC)

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