By Philip Buda Ladu
At least four people were killed and two others injured during the confrontation in Tongping when clashes erupted at the former Spy Chief Gen. Akol Koor’s home on Thursday evening.
They include two army officers who were shot and two civilians, crashed by the army tank, the army spokesperson Maj. General Lul Ruai Koang said in a press briefing yesterday.
“We have registered four fatalities, a total of four people lost their lives.” Gen. Lul said.
“We have lost two servicemen, one was from the security force that was inside the compound and the other one from the one outside of the fence. Then we registered two civilian casualties, who were crushed to death by our armoured personnel carriers when they were maneuvering, they unfortunately and unintentionally crushed to death two civilians,” he added.
Furthermore, the crossfire registered two civilians that were shot and wounded, “I was told one is a student at the University of Juba and the second one, the Maulana, all of whom are in stable condition” Lul noted.
The exchange of gunfire, which lasted over an hour, started around 7 p.m. near the Nimule Resort Hotel in the Thongping neighborhood, at the residence of Gen. Koor.
General Akol, who previously served as the director of internal security for 13 years, was sacked in August and briefly appointed governor of the Warrap State. But his appointment was revoked before being sworn in.
Gen. Lul said following concerns about his security, military officials issued a directive restricting his movements and advising him to relocate from his residential area in Tongping to a safer location in Jebel area in Juba.
The army spokesperson explained that multiple security forces were deployed to ensure Gen. Akol’s safety as such there was miscommunication among the units deployed, resulting in a confrontation where small-arms fire erupted between the deployed forces.
In response to the incident, a high-level security meeting was convened by the President, attended by senior military officials to resolve the standoff this morning.
“A very successful meeting was held under his leadership. It was attended by the chief of defense forces, the inspector general of police, the new director general of national security service, and our chief of military intelligence. And a very wonderful resolution was arrived at” he noted.
“And the good news is that a few minutes ago, around 30 to 45 minutes ago, General Akol accepted to relocate to his second residence in Jebel residential area with his dear wife, one bodyguard, and a cook, a senior officer will be assigned to him to lead us and oversee his protection,” he added.
To keep at bay any opportunists, spoilers, gen. Lul said Akol is going to be provided with additional protection by the SSPDF at his new residence adding that he is not under their detention.
SSPDF spokesperson assured that the situation has been successfully contained they are hopeful that nothing of that nature will ever occur again.
In a separate statement, Secretary of the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Peter Lam Both, also confirmed that after some persuasion, Gen. Koor agreed to move with his family to his other residence in the Jabel suburb, as part of the government’s plan to ease tensions.
Gen. Koor’s sacking has been widely interpreted as a reflection of an internal power struggle at the highest levels of government.
Koor’s ouster came amid a period of heightened political uncertainty, with President Kiir replacing Koor with a close ally to solidify his grip on power.
The tensions are further compounded by the government’s announcement in September that the long-awaited national elections, originally scheduled for December, would be postponed for the second time.
South Sudan continues to navigate a fragile political landscape, with power struggles and shifting alliances presenting ongoing challenges for its leaders