Western Bahr al Ghazal Police Commissioner Abraham Manyuat has dismissed claims that police officers have been detained at a military base in Wau.

This came after rumours circulated that SPLA soldiers under General Salva Kiir have arrested up to 70 police personnel in Wau as part of an effort to contain by force a strike over unpaid salaries.

Manyuat told Radio Tamazuj that there are no police with the SPLA soldiers. He added that the investigations committee into the recent protests has not yet finished its task.

“It is a wrong information, there is not any policeman arrested by the SPLA. Those who were involved in the incident are being dealt with administratively,” he said.

Separately, the senior police officer identified the perpetrators who robbed a Sudanese trader’s shop in Wau as "niggers" - a term in South Sudan used to denote urban gang members - and street children.

However, he stressed they are working to apprehend the criminals as soon as possible. The police chief pointed out that some stolen properties were recovered by the police.