SO FAR! Ten Ugandan Drivers Killed, Several Missing As Deadly Ambushes Resurface On Uganda–Juba Highway

By Our Reporter

Escalating insecurity along the Uganda–South Sudan border has sparked fresh concern in Parliament, with MPs from West Nile and other border districts calling for urgent government intervention to protect citizens and safeguard trade.

The alarm was raised on September 17, 2025, by Dr. Charles Ayume, the Koboko Municipality MP, following the fatal ambush of a commuter taxi along the Uganda–Juba highway. The attack, which occurred on September 9, claimed the lives of driver Innocent Metaloro and his passenger, Kusanya. This incident brings the number of Ugandan drivers killed on the route to at least ten in recent years, with several others still unaccounted for.

Ayume warned that the recurring violence threatens Uganda’s trade with South Sudan, a key regional partner, particularly for border communities engaged in cross-border commerce. “South Sudan is one of our biggest trade partners. Koboko, like many border districts, hosts a number of South Sudanese refugees. But these killings are frustrating residents, traders, and travelers. As MPs, we have no answers to give our people,” Ayume told Parliament.

He urged Uganda’s embassy in Juba to follow up on the killings and called on the government to strengthen cross-border security through direct government-to-government dialogue.

George Bhoka, the Obongi County MP, echoed Ayume’s concerns, noting that the latest ambush occurred just meters from a South Sudan People’s Army (SSPA) installation, yet security forces failed to respond. “This is not the first such attack. We must ensure the safety of Ugandans traveling to and within Juba,” Bhoka said.

Responding on behalf of the government, Minister for General Duties Justine Kasule Lumumba expressed condolences to the bereaved families and acknowledged the need for regional engagement. “These cases had reduced, but their recurrence is very unfortunate. We shall take this matter up urgently with the Ministries of East African Affairs, Security, and Defence, and escalate it to the heads of state level under the spirit of East African integration,” Lumumba assured MPs.

Uganda and South Sudan share a porous 470-kilometer border that has long been a flashpoint for insecurity, territorial disputes, and cross-border crime. An African Union-backed Joint Technical Committee on border delimitation and demarcation was established in 2016 but stalled due to South Sudan’s civil war.

Colonial-era boundaries drawn by British administrators in 1914 remain contested. Communities in Moyo and Lamwo districts have faced repeated confrontations with armed South Sudanese groups over farmland and grazing areas in Agoro and Lokung. In 2017, dozens of South Sudanese soldiers halted construction of the Acholibur–Musingo road, claiming Ugandan territory.

Beyond land disputes, South Sudan’s civil war, triggered in 2013 by a fallout between President Salva Kiir and then-deputy Riek Machar, has fueled instability. Uganda intervened militarily on Kiir’s side, a move that secured Juba but deepened suspicions among Machar’s supporters. The war claimed at least 400,000 lives before a fragile 2018 peace deal.

Uganda’s military presence in South Sudan, renewed in March 2025 to support Kiir against renewed clashes with Machar’s loyalists and the Nuer-dominated “White Army,” continues to stir resentment. Critics accuse Kampala of interference and violating a UN arms embargo, while Uganda insists it is protecting regional stability.

Despite these tensions, South Sudan remains one of Uganda’s top export destinations, accounting for nearly 10% of Uganda’s regional trade. Persistent ambushes along major trade routes, particularly the Kaya–Yei road and the Nimule–Juba highway, threaten livelihoods and undermine regional integration.

As Parliament debates solutions, questions remain over whether bilateral diplomacy, stronger border security, or African Union mediation can bring lasting stability to the Uganda–South Sudan frontier.