Juba, South Sudan | By Michael Wandati | Alfred Baluku, a bus conductor working with Bebeto Coach, was well aware of the dangers that lurk along the Nimule-Juba highway in South Sudan.
However, he never thought he would personally witness a life-threatening attack.
On September 24, 2024, the Bebeto Coach bus, on which Baluku had been working since February, departed from Juba City at 6 a.m. local time, headed for Kampala. The bus carried 40 passengers, a mix of Ugandan and South Sudanese nationals.
In addition to the passengers, the crew consisted of the driver, a turnman, and two soldiers from the South Sudan National Security Service, assigned to protect the vehicle along this perilous route.
Approximately 90 kilometers into the journey, Baluku described how their journey took a horrifying turn when sudden gunfire erupted from a nearby thicket, with bullets striking the front of the bus.
“The bullets started at random from the front because they first hit the windscreen and there was a big hole in front of the bus. I think it was a strong [big] gun they used and that’s when we realized that we were being shot at,” Baluku told this publication in an interview on Wednesday.
Despite the relentless gunfire, the driver managed to drive for around 100 meters before being forced to stop. The damage to the radiator caused steam to pour out, clouding his vision and making it impossible to continue.
Baluku recounted that a group of approximately 50 gunmen advanced toward the bus, firing nonstop. One of the soldiers on board attempted to fight back, but the attackers quickly overpowered him.
“We had two soldiers in the bus, and one was shot and fell out when the bus was still moving….So, the one that was still on board came out and started pushing them back but unfortunately, he was alone, and the guys were coming in big numbers, he tried his level best but couldn’t manage,” Baluku said.
Once the soldier ran out of ammunition, the gunmen closed in on the bus. Baluku, along with the driver and the other soldier, fled into the nearby bush for safety, leaving behind 30 passengers who remained trapped inside as the attackers seized control.
From his hiding spot, Baluku witnessed the gunmen surround the bus, aggressively demanding phones and money from the passengers. They also ransacked the luggage compartment, focusing their search on food supplies.
“They picked every luggage in the boot and put it down and those guys when they were talking, they wanted especially foodstuffs. They were asking “where is the milk, where is the milk?” They took some passengers whom they told to carry the packs to the nearby bush. Some of them were told to sit down and left them unharmed. You can’t tell the exact number but they were 50+. They were so many,” Baluku recounted.
For nearly an hour, the attackers looted the bus without any intervention from government forces. Eventually, they set the bus ablaze and retreated into the bush, taking several unharmed passengers with them. South Sudanese soldiers arrived about an hour later, causing the rebels to flee.
Baluku, along with 11 other survivors, sustained minor injuries and were rescued by the soldiers after being persuaded to come out of hiding. Unfortunately, five passengers were severely injured, and one man lost his life. The survivors were taken back to Juba for medical treatment.
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Baluku, a father of two, was among five casualties transported to Amuru district for further medical care. Four Ugandans and one South Sudanese national were treated there.
According to Patrick Louis Lamot, the health focal point at Elegu Port on the Uganda-South Sudan border, at least 12 victims of the attack have since crossed into Uganda for treatment.
Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), blamed the attack on the National Salvation Front (NAS), a rebel group led by Lt. Gen. Thomas Cirilo.
He confirmed that 14 passengers had been abducted and said the army was pursuing the rebels, who had fled toward the Nile River. As of now, the fate of the captives remains unknown.
