Residents of the Wonduruba area of Juba County in Central Equatoria State on Thursday accused the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) of harassment and disappearance of civilians in the area.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, several local residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said cases of arrests and disappearance have been reported in the area, forcing men and the youth to sleep in the bushes and others to flee due to fear.
“Some 40 youths went to the river and were arbitrarily arrested and tied up from 7 to 11 pm. This is the problem facing us,” one of the residents said.
The civilians said they were living in fear and by 6 pm, all shops within the town are closed.
“We are now living in fear because the soldiers that are deployed around Gumbo make the youths live in fear around Wonduruba Center. Once it reaches 6 pm, all shops close, and everyone goes to their homes,” one of the residents said.
“The day before yesterday, four youths went to the bush for hunting. Two of them went ahead and their two colleagues who were left behind heard gunshot sounds and ran away and since yesterday, the whereabouts of the two remain unknown,” he added.
He called on the government to deploy the police and the national security officers to protect civilians as the soldiers have become enemies to the civilians.
Wonduruba Administrator Towongo Stephen Michael said he was in Juba, but his area was slowly returning to normalcy after the recent incidents.
For his part, SSDF Spokesperson Gen Lul Ruai Koang said he had not received any information about the harassment of civilians by the army in Wonduruba.