S. Sudan army besiege Juba POC after govt soldier killed near camp

JUBA – The Juba POC or the protection of civilian site manned by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been surrounded by the South Sudan army after a soldiers’ body was found near the camp.

One South Sudan internally displaced person at the UN Juba POC said the South Sudan government soldiers believe that the unannmed government soldier was killed by those in side the UN-manned camp.

As a result, Majok Yen said that the soldiers reacted by preventing any IDP from leaving Juba POC camp. Some IDPs work for humanitarian groups located in various parts of the capital, Juba. Others, especially women go to the markets to buy supplements.

“This morning people are getting out, as usual, going to the market to buy the basic needs, they got surprised that soldiers are preventing them from going outside and they don’t know what’s happening and what’s the problem,” Majok Yen was quoted by the Eye Radio.

“I learned that there was someone killed that side of checkpoint and people couldn’t understand whether that person is a civilian or a solider. This is what happened today morning. Nobody went out, all the people are staying here at the PoC.”

However, the spokesperson of the SSPDF told Eye Radio that the move is not aimed at the IDPs but to investigate the suspected murder of the soldier.

“The move was not aimed at them. Yesterday at night our own soldier was killed at the checkpoint by unidentified armed men and his gun was taken as well his motorbike, so the scene was cordoned off so that those who may be passing around do not tamper with evidence, so the move is aimed at gathering evidence so that we know who are responsible for the death of our soldier last night,” explained Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang.

Currently, there are 29,659 IDPs living in the Protection of Civilians site in Juba – UN House PoC I and PoC III.