Juba – Nimule Road: where death strikes anytime

JUBA – Nimule road is the country’s life-linking highway that has reduced travel time between the Nimule border and the country’s capital Juba from eight hours to less than four hours.

It straddles 197 kilometers and posts three hours and 45 minutes on the Google map, promising a safe ride to the country’s periphery which ushers one into Uganda.

Funded by the U.S. government after the independence, the highway remains the largest infrastructure project ever built in South Sudan.

This highway, which links Juba with Uganda and extends all the way to the Port of Mombasa in Kenya, has dished out tears and hope in equal measure.

Lives are being built and people are being fed because of it.  But underneath these reassuring tales are swelling numbers of those who ended up in graves, or are nursing physical and psychological injuries because of heinous highway ambushes.

Although well-built to the standards, the maintenance has been a problem making it be covered up by trees and grass on the sides, which produce perfect hideouts for criminals who perpetrate attacks against travelers.

Traveling along Juba-Nimule road has turned out to be a matter of life and death. Many are forced to hold their breath or say the last prayer while crossing the ‘valley of tears. Though the December 2013 conflict was ended on September 12, 2018, through a revitalized peace agreement, ambushes and killing along the Juba-Nimule highway have not ceased.

The attacks

On Monday, a Catholic nun, Sr Mary Aboud who had been Mother Superior for 12 years for the religious congregation of the Sacred Heart Sisters, and Sr. Regina and two others were killed in an ambush along Juba-Nimule road.  They became the latest victims of the brutal unprecedented attacks along the Juba- Nimule road after they attended the Loa centenary celebration over the weekend.

Last week on August 12, 2021, a passenger vehicle that had left Juba for Nimule fell in a grim fate after unknown gunmen stormed the road and fired bullets between Kerepi and Moli at around 12pm. A 22-year old man and an 11-year old girl lost their lives in the ambush. Also, three other passengers sustained injuries in that incident.

“This vehicle was going from Juba to Nimule and was attacked by unknown men in uniform. There were 6 passengers in the car,” Police Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Daniel Justine told the media.

“Two died, a 22-year-old man, and an 11-year-old girl. There were three injured and one passenger disappeared and has not yet been found, maybe he ran into the forest. Our forces went there and found the attackers went away,” he added.

Cost of food rising

The unforgiving travel on the Juba- Nimule road has not only affected the passengers banking on the public service vehicles plying the route but also the truckers ferrying food to Juba and other consumables.

In April 2021, assailants attacked a convoy of trucks along Juba-Nimule road. The incident was said to have occurred in the Kit 2 area. At least five civilians were reported to have been killed while several others were injured.

Officials blamed the attack on National Salvation Front (NAS) rebels. The incident followed another armed attack on March 27-28 along the Yei-Juba highway which left several Ugandan nationals dead. However, the holdout group was quick to rubbish the allegations.

After a period of relative peace, July 2021, started with frequent attacks along Juba-Nimule Highway at least twice a week.

According to Gen. Justin, some motorists often take chances even if they have been assured of security provision.

“We would tell our forces to take care and that there is a vehicle going so that they can be on alert, but all this is not happening. There is an escort and forces are all over the road but these drivers are not following this,” he told the media after the Sunday attack.

Ambush attacks

The deadly attacks date back to the period after the July 2016 conflict that broke out in Juba where the road leading to Nimule was mired with ambushes and the Transitional Government of National Unity (T-GoNU) at the time had accused SPLA-IO forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar of being behind the attacks. The SPLA-IO denied these accusations on several occasions.

On August 3, 2017, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of buses and killed 14 people injuring 35 others- the worst attack in the history of the country.

Nonetheless, the perpetrators of the heinous attacks are yet to be identified. But being the only road that helps the country access food and other products from the other East African countries; passengers have and truckers have to brave the perilous moments.

“This road is our lifeline and when it is closed it means everybody in South Sudan will suffer. So this road needs to be taken care of seriously by the government,” said Angela Achiro Onorio legislator representing Magwi County.

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