New Vision newspaper van ambushed on Masaka - Mbarara road

By Davis Weddi A NEW VISION newspaper transporting van was yesterday morning ambushed by three unidentified armed thugs near Katovu shortly before Lyantonde on the Masaka-Mbarara highway. The same thugs tried to attack a van that was carrying The Monitor which arrived at the spot shortly after 4:00am. The driver, however, quickly made a U-turn. The thugs tried to chase it on foot but gave up. This is the second time in two days and the third in a year that thugs ambush newspaper vans on that road. The last serious incident occurred in July at Nekogolero. The New Vision van drivers Dan Senyanga, 28 and Serumaga, said they were not injured in the attack but the thugs took sh30,000, drunk their sodas and removed vehicle parts from the van. The van was carrying newspapers to Mbarara, Kabale and Kigali. The drivers work for a contracted transporter. The thugs used the van to get away forcing one of the drivers to drive them. The drivers said one of the thugs was dressed in clothes similar to the Police uniform while the other two were clad in attire similar to military fatigues. They spoke Luganda and Kiswahili. The thugs had apparently staged a roadblock where they had already stopped another truck loaded with dried fish. They had ordered the driver to park his vehicle across the road. Ends.