By Charles K Mark
South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) spokesperson has dismissed statements issued by National Salvation Front (NAS) claiming responsibility for ammunition depot explosion in Giada military barrack.
Over the weekend, the nation’s ammunition depot (Armory) in Giada exploded, which caused destruction and left eight people injured, including a child.
And the SSPDF spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, told journalists at the scene of the explosion that the prime suspect in the blast was hot weather, but NAS later issued a statement claiming responsibility for the explosion.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Maj. Gen. Koang laughed off the NAS claim, calling it an “outrageous lie.”
He went ahead to baptize the statement made by the NAS spokesperson as irrational propaganda and an illogical lie.
The Army’s spokesperson noted that since the inception of the National Salvation Front five years ago, the NAS has not had a presence around Juba, setting aside infiltrating it to attack the special facility.
“Since the NAS was founded by General Thomas Cirilo about five years ago, if I’m not wrong, they have not succeeded even in capturing a Boma in Greater Equatoria, let alone infiltrating Juba,” Ruai boasted.
He described the statement by the rebel outfit as negative propaganda with no favor to the position of the government fighters.
“How do you infiltrate Juba with Special Forces? They sneaked in and got back. It does not make sense! I do not know why General Thomas Cirilo allowed that statement to be released when it was not making sense in all its forms.” Mr. Ruai wondered.
“If you make a lie, you make at least a beautiful lie, not an outrageous lie like the one he made, but it’s good that they expose themselves in that manner,” he mocked NAS.
The NAS claimed in their statement that their “Special Forces” conducted a reconnaissance mission in Juba, igniting an army ammunition store before making their getaway technically.
The ammunition depot explosion injured at least eight people, according to the army spokesperson.
The inferno prompted loud explosions that caused tension and panic among the residents close to the military facility.
Maj. Gen. Ruai said there were no tracks of any eternal attack on the facility.
“We took journalists. It was a pure accident that we are currently blaming on heat waves that had hit Juba in the last week,” he told journalists.
The ammunition depot is said to have contained different types of shells for different mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems, and fuses.