KEY POINTS
- Gunfire erupted in Juba during a reported arrest attempt.
- The incident is tied to tensions over a dismissed NSS leader.
- Observers fear instability ahead of delayed elections.
According to Reuters reporters and a United Nations safety notice, security forces reportedly moved to arrest Akol Koor Kuc, the former chief of the National Security Service (NSS), and heavy gunfire broke out Thursday evening in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Heavy gunfire breaks out in South Sudan’s capital
According to witnesses, the firing started at around 7 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) and went on sporadically for over an hour before stopping.
The firing was connected to the attempted arrest of Akol Koor, who had been fired by President Salva Kiir in early October, according to a U.N. safety advisory sent to its employees in Juba and seen by Reuters. As a precaution against the violence, the notice advised U.N. personnel to remain indoors.
Since South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011, Akol Koor had served as the head of the NSS until President Kiir removed him from his position.
Analysts say the move to replace Koor with a close ally of Kiir is indicative of a rising power struggle at the highest levels of government.
According to reuters, the South Sudanese Army spokesperson, Major General Lul Ruai Koang, refuted claims that Koor had been arrested. He claimed that the event had nothing to do with an attempted arrest and that the former head of the NSS was still at his home when the gunshots broke out. Following a meeting with top security officials to discuss the matter, Koang said he will brief press on Friday.
Akol Koor’s dismissal coincides with increased hostilities within the transitional administration. Uncertainty over the nation’s political future has increased since the administration, led by President Kiir, recently postponed national elections that were scheduled for December for the second time.
Peace remains fragile amid election delays and factional clashes
There are still issues facing South Sudan’s precarious peace, both nationally and in rural communities. Tensions between Kiir’s and First Vice President Riek Machar’s factions still exist despite their combined governance under a transitional agreement since 2018.
Between 2013 and 2018, the civil war raged for five years, killing hundreds of thousands of people and uprooting millions more.
There are still sporadic battles between Kiir and Machar’s forces, despite the fact that the large-scale conflict has diminished. Furthermore, there is still bloodshed in rural areas, where a variety of armed groups frequently fight to the death.
Instability inside the transitional government, according to observers, might exacerbate the already precarious truce and make it more difficult to get ready for future elections.
