The police in Aweil town in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have on Monday morning announced the confiscation of large quantities of shisha, also known as hookah, smoking paraphernalia, and other items that were banned by state authorities.
The owners of the equipment were not arrested but told to cease and desist.
The local authorities have in the past passed several orders banning the consumption of shisha and some alcohol spirits which they deemed destructive to human health. In August 2021, the Aweil Municipal Council banned the smoking of shisha and the sale of Star Gin. In 2022, Master-Gin, Uganda-Gin, and Disco-Gin were also prohibited.
The Northern Bahr el Ghazal State police commissioner, Major General Philip Madut, told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) did a splendid job by confiscating the banned items.
“The Police’s CID is the body that monitors harmful things and hidden crimes and we are entitled to implement any law or order issued by state authorities,” he said. “There was a local order that was passed to ban some harmful materials like Star Gin and shisha because the authorities saw their negative impacts on the citizens.”
For his part, Aweil Town Mayor Zackaria Dut Majok said that shisha was banned because it is harmful.
“We all know that shisha is prohibited because it is harmful and people share the smoking pipes and that means diseases can spread from person to person and that is the reason why we prohibited it,” he explained. “People should not consume shisha here in Aweil Town and if they the dealers want to invest in it, let them go to other places like Wau.”
The mayor said whenever he moves around the town he finds many people smoking shisha and that people should invest in more beneficial and healthy businesses.
Meanwhile, the executive director of the Aweil Community-Based Organizations Forum (ACBOF), Santino Deng, welcomed the confiscation of the shisha gear and said young children and women are among those getting addicted.
“It is one of the drugs that are abused by young children and women and it is a good move from the government, the town council, and the police to fight it,” he said.