Boda-Boda Riders Kidnapped After Maridi Road Ambush

(MARIDI) – Authorities in Maridi County, Western Equatoria State, have confirmed that one person was killed and several others injured in an armed ambush on a public vehicle along the Juba-Maridi Road.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning on July 31 near the Mani’bu area.

According to Alfred Miiri, the Commissioner of Maridi County, the attack took place at around 5:00 a.m. when a pickup truck travelling from Juba to Maridi came under gunfire from unidentified armed men. The vehicle was carrying passengers and goods when it was ambushed.

“The driver was shot dead, and several people sustained injuries. The attackers also set the pickup truck and several motorcycles on fire,” said Miiri.

In a separate but related incident shortly after the ambush, the same armed group is reported to have abducted a number of boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) riders in the vicinity. The riders were reportedly dragged into nearby bushes and their motorcycles were also torched by the assailants.

Following the attack, local security forces responded to the scene and helped evacuate the injured passengers to Maridi Civil Hospital for treatment. The extent of the injuries has not yet been disclosed, but hospital authorities confirmed that emergency care was being provided.

The County Commissioner said the local government has deployed forces to pursue the attackers and conduct a search and rescue operation for the abducted boda-boda riders.

Authorities have also vowed to increase security patrols along the Juba-Maridi corridor to ensure safer travel for residents and commercial transporters.

No official financial value was placed on the damage caused, but estimates of the destroyed property, including one pickup vehicle and multiple motorcycles could amount to over 30 Million South Sudanese Pounds. This figure does not include the cost of medical treatment or other indirect losses from the disruption.

The road between Juba and Maridi is considered one of the vital transport links connecting Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria states.

However, it has in recent years become vulnerable to sporadic ambushes, often blamed on unidentified armed groups or criminal elements operating in remote areas.

Local authorities have called on national security agencies and the community to assist with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility so far.