A South Sudanese police officer has been arrested after he opened fire and injured five people at a Sudanese-owned restaurant in the Hai Cinema residential area on Saturday night.
Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesman of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), confirmed that the officer identified only as 1st Lt. Marial from the South Sudan National Police Service’s Customs Division, had dined at the restaurant and subsequently refused to pay his bill. This led to a minor altercation with the restaurant owner.
According to Gen. Ruai, Marial initially left the restaurant but returned shortly after with a loaded firearm and opened fire on the diners. The shooting resulted in five people sustaining gunshot wounds.
“The rogue officer was swiftly apprehended by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers and is currently being detained at the ICT Police Headquarters in Buluk,” Gen. Lul told Radio Tamazuj.
In addition to this incident, authorities are continuing operations to locate gunmen who recently targeted pedestrians at the Seventh-Day roundabout area. There have been a series of gun-related violent incidents in and around Juba, raising concerns about the possible link to the country’s severe economic downturn.
Asked whether these incidents might be connected to the economic hardships affecting South Sudan, including nine months of unpaid salaries for civil servants and armed forces, Gen. Lul stated that investigations are ongoing.
“When someone is under the influence of alcohol, it is challenging to determine if their actions are directly related to the economic conditions or if their judgment was impaired,” Gen. Ruai noted. “The investigation committee will clarify whether the economic situation played a role.”
Gen. Lul acknowledged ongoing issues with the misuse of firearms among soldiers and stressed the need for improved firearms control and management to prevent such incidents in the future.