The People’s Liberal Party (PLP), one of the opposition parties out of the unity government in Juba, said a rise in crime rate in the capital at night was due to delayed salaries in the country.

Local residents in Juba have complained about increasing cases of armed robbery and assaults at night since the beginning of August.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the PLP leader Peter Mayen Majongdit accused the unity government of failing to protect civilians, saying civil servants and organized forces have gone unpaid for several months.

Majongdit further said salaries delay contributes to the increase in high crime rates in the capital. He blamed the government for failing to pay its employees from oil money.

South Sudan’s Police Spokesperson, Daniel Justin Boula, admitted that police forces have gone unpaid for four months saying this could contribute to the increasing crime rate in the capital.

Boula said seven suspected robbers had been arrested in Juba, claiming that the security situation was calm after deployment of security forces at Malakia and Kator residential areas to curb insecurity.