The National Salvation Front (NAS) rebels have denied any involvement in the bus ambush on the Juba-Nimule road, which resulted in the death of at least one Ugandan and the injury of eight others.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when gunmen opened fire on a Bebeto Coach bus traveling to Uganda.
Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), attributed the attack to NAS rebels under the leadership of Gen. Thomas Cirillo.
However, NAS leadership denied these allegations in a press release on Wednesday.
“NAS vehemently rejects the SSPDF spokesperson’s baseless and false claims that they were responsible for the bus attack. This statement is inaccurate and must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves,” declared NAS spokesperson Suba Samuel Manase.
Manase blamed the government’s failure to pay soldiers for nearly 21 months for the SSPDF’s inability to ensure security on the Juba-Nimule road and throughout South Sudan.
He added, “The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) is desperately attempting to divert attention from its legitimacy crisis by making false accusations against NAS.”
Manase further claimed that the government was trying to portray NAS as a regional threat in order to garner international support.
The Juba-Nimule highway is a critical route that connects South Sudan with Uganda and Kenya, serving as a major supply line to Juba. This attack marks the first reported armed assault on the highway this year.