State officials say workers expanding MTN's fibre-optic network were ambushed on the Nagero–Tambura road on 29 October and taken to an SPLA-IO-held area. They are calling for the workers' unconditional release.
Authorities in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state have called for the immediate and unconditional release of fibre-optic workers contracted on MTN's network expansion. They say the workers were ambushed on the road between Nagero and Tambura counties on 29 October and are being held in Bandala, an area controlled by the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).
The state's information minister, Noah Philip Isaah, told Radio Tamazuj that four vehicles carrying eight people were travelling from Wau through Nagero towards Source Yubu, where the project's workers are based. He said one vehicle was later released and its driver told to go to Wau to collect money, though the amount demanded is unclear. Speaking to Eye Radio, which spelled his name Noah Issa Phillip, the minister said seven workers remained held. He alleged that forces aligned with the former state governor and senior SPLM-IO member Alfred Futuyo Karaba were responsible. Karaba has not publicly commented.
"They should not arrest anyone along the road and demand money for their release," the minister told Radio Tamazuj. He said the network was being built for everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
Competing accounts of the demand
Tambura County Commissioner James Mupaya condemned what he said was the detention of three vehicles by SPLA-IO forces in Bandala over a demand for 35 million South Sudanese pounds. He said the forces accused the travellers of responsibility for the death of a child who had allegedly drunk diesel from one of the vehicles on an earlier journey. The acting Nagero commissioner, Bernardo Gabriel, confirmed that the workers were being held in Bandala.
The incident came days after the SPLM-IO's commissioner for the opposition-held part of Nagero, Henry Baganda Asaya, announced that security meetings had agreed to allow the free movement of civilians, traders and aid agencies, following clashes between the SPLA-IO and the South Sudan People's Defence Forces on 19 October. SPLA-IO representatives had not responded to Radio Tamazuj's requests for comment by the time of publication. The minister urged travellers on the Nagero–Tambura–Wau road to seek security clearance before travelling.
Context
The incident adds to insecurity in Western Equatoria as South Sudan prepares for elections scheduled for 22 December. Voter registration materials have begun reaching states, and civil society groups have warned about misinformation and security risks. The trial of SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar is due to resume in Juba on 6 November.
Image: Map of South Sudan with Western Equatoria state highlighted in red. Syanarion62, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.