A gunman hijacked a small aid plane in South Sudan on Tuesday, demanding it fly to Chad, police said. The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan operated by Samaritan’s Purse, had departed Juba carrying medical supplies for the remote Maiwut County.
Authorities said the hijacker, Yasir Mohammed Yusuf from the Abyei Administrative Area, hid in the rear cabin before takeoff, evading initial security checks. After circling for several hours, the pilot convinced Yusuf to land in the northern town of Wau for refuelling, where police arrested him.
No injuries were reported, and an investigation into the motives and circumstances of the hijacking is now underway, officials said. Yusuf was wearing a reflective vest displaying the logo of a Juba air charter company, whose management denied any employment connection.
Melissa Strickland, spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, thanked security forces for ensuring “a safe outcome” and protecting the humanitarian mission. The incident follows a deadly Nov. 25 crash of another Samaritan’s Purse-chartered plane in Unity State, which killed three crew members carrying food supplies.
Authorities have yet to explain why Yusuf intended to fly to Chad, a neighbouring region without a shared border, raising questions about his plan. Police and aid workers said heightened vigilance is now being implemented for humanitarian flights in volatile regions, aiming to prevent similar incidents.
