By Bida Elly David
South Sudan Peoples’ Defence Forces on Friday gunned down three robbers along Yei-Kaya Highway following the killing of Ugandan and Kenyan drivers who have been retrieving trading activities for the welfare of the citizens.
Recently, traders, civilians and drivers were reportedly confronted by group of unidentified robbers along Yei-Kaya road creating insecurity and threats on people to access the road and last week, another deadly attack transpired against two foreign drivers leading to unfortunate cold blood.
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on Sunday, Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa the Commissioner of Yei River County said the suspected robbers were encircled by the security forces at a cave of Andiri Mountain of Yari and Liggi Sub-Boma.
Cyrus said that the three bandits were killed as they strained to wage exchange of bullets with the SSPDF security segment in the wilderness of Yari.
“The day before yesterday, there were some group of desistance of SPLA/IO and National Salvation front who have been robbing humanitarian vehicles , Civilians moving between Yei-Kaya and robbing traders since last year up to date. We have been tracing and tracking them all these time. The recent one happened after they have brutally killed a Ugandan driver and Kenyan. We mounted a comprehensive search and found them in one of the deepest hill about three miles away from the road. They exchanged fire with our security agencies where three of them were killed and one of them injured and fled away. Two of their guns have been recovered last week and then the other two were recently recovered. They were carrying on four guns and mobilised themselves with sticks and Pangas around the number of eighteen (18). Some of them ran to Refugee camps of Congo and Uganda. Those who absconded went without carrying with them any arms or tools for fighting’ he said.
Furthermore, Aggrey said that the devastating attacks by the defectors were awkward activities towards claiming their rights.
“My message to the defectors is that if the conflict that we are waging in South Sudan is about spoiling service delivery, protection of the civilians and the property of this country, it is an awkward phenomenon for the armed to act especially targeting civilians. They should know that it is the responsibility of the South Sudan’s People’s Defence Forces to defend this country from any threat’’ he said.
However, he has called on those waging guns to completely refrain from those attacks and claim their rights through dialogue.
“I urged those ones waging arms to refrain from that act and come peacefully through dialogue to claim for their rights rather than killing innocent souls in the bushes. There are old men and women who are suffering in the camps wanting to come back but the insecurity caused by the bandits could not allow them to make it back home’’ he called.