Residents in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, express growing distress as soldiers persist in conducting unannounced raids on homes and businesses, leading to widespread complaints of harassment.
The military contends that these operations are successful, boasting the seizure of thousands of lethal weapons, including assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and machetes.
Over 120 residents in Juba have formally lodged complaints with the local NGO, Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation, according to its director, Edmund Yakani. Those filing complaints allege that security forces forcefully entered their homes without prior notification, ostensibly in search of weapons.
Foreign nationals have also reported harassment by troops, who allegedly conducted searches on their vehicles and accommodations, Yakani added.
Responding to the outcry, an army spokesperson issued an apology on Thursday, stating, “Special apology goes to members of the diplomatic corps, UN, NGOs, and other dignitaries for all forms of inconveniences caused,” in a Facebook post by South Sudan People’s Defence Forces spokesman Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang.