Shop owners in the Suq Haja market in the Western Bahr el Ghazal State capital Wau on Tuesday closed their shops to protest night burglaries that they say have now become perennial.
On Monday night, thieves broke into nine shops in the Suq Hajar market and made off with goods worth millions of South Sudanese Pounds. This angered the traders and shopkeepers and they closed their shops to protest what they referred to as a lack of protection from the police and local authorities yet they paid a daily security fee to the municipality for protection at night.
Speaking to the media during the protest, many of the traders pointed out their disappointment with the municipality, saying the security officers deployed to guard the market were not doing their work.
Ahmed Suba, a trader, said the number of security personnel deployed to safeguard the market was insufficient.
“In the past, there was no theft and break-ins like this in Suq Hajar. We collect money to pay the soldiers working in the market to protect our shops but there are only two. Their number has been reduced yet we pay a lot of money so there is no protection. We are raising our children from earnings from our businesses so it is unfair when we get robbed,” he said. “If a trader encounters losses, it will affect the state because the taxes paid will reduce. From 1 November to date, nine shops have been broken into Suq Hajar. This has never happened in the history of the market.”
Another trader, Khamis Abu, called for the deployment of additional soldiers to guard the market at night.
“We are now asking for additional soldiers to be brought to the market and a strong administration in the market,” he stated. “We pay for protection in the market but there are no soldiers to guard the place. We need protection.”
For his part, the police officer in charge of patrolling the Wau Municipal Council area, Brigadier General Abut Johnson Madhieu, promised the traders additional protection in the market.
“The state authorities have decided that the forces protecting the municipality should be increased to 248 strong forces and we are working on this,” he reassured. “By tomorrow, we will have changes and you should be patient because we will have enough forces to protect the market. I want you traders to cooperate with the police.”
Meanwhile, Wau Municipality Council Mayor Paulino Sead Uku said he was dismayed when he heard about the reports of repeated burglaries in the market.
“We are not happy to hear about the stealing from shops in Wau town and we do not have a chairperson of chamber of commerce in Wau town who I can contact when such events occur,” he said. “The chairperson of the state chamber of commerce needs to appoint a chairperson for Wau municipality so that the mayor can liaise with that person when such things happen.”