A shocking incident unfolded in South Sudan on Tuesday when an armed man took control of a small humanitarian aircraft and forced the pilot to remain airborne for several hours before the plane eventually landed safely in the northern town of Wau, police confirmed. No one was harmed, and the suspect was immediately taken into custody on the runway.
The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan operated by U.S.-based Christian relief group Samaritan’s Purse, departed Juba carrying medical supplies destined for Maiwut in the northeast. Police later revealed that the hijacker, identified as Yasir Mohammed Yusuf, concealed himself in the rear cabin before the flight began.
Yusuf is a native of the Abyei Administrative Area, an oil-rich region disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. Authorities say the motive behind the attempted diversion remains unclear, especially since he demanded the aircraft be flown to Chad, a country that does not border South Sudan.
After circling for hours, the pilot managed to persuade the gunman that the plane was short on fuel, prompting a landing in Wau where security personnel swiftly arrested him, according to Western Bahr el Ghazal police spokesperson Santino Udol Mayen.
Officials added that Yusuf had been wearing a reflective vest branded with the logo of an air charter operator at Juba International Airport. The company’s managing director, Paul Antrobus, stated they have no employee by that name.Samaritan’s Purse spokesperson Melissa Strickland later issued a statement expressing gratitude for a “safe outcome.”
The hijacking occurred only days after a separate plane contracted by the same organisation crashed in Unity State on 25 November, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members.
