Nearly 200 individuals arrested during recent protests in South Sudan, which escalated into widespread looting, remain at large following a major jailbreak, police confirmed on Wednesday.
The protests erupted in Juba last week after reports emerged that 29 South Sudanese were killed in clashes in neighboring Sudan. The demonstrations quickly turned violent, with looters targeting Sudanese-owned businesses. The unrest spread nationwide, prompting security forces to open fire to disperse crowds and detain dozens of individuals, though the exact number arrested was not disclosed.
According to police spokesperson John Kassara, around 600 detainees escaped from a military detention facility in Juba on Wednesday morning at approximately 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT). Among the escapees, 550 were civilians, while 50 were members of organized forces, including armed forces or police.
Kassara said military police fired warning shots into the air while pursuing the escapees and managed to recapture 410 individuals. Authorities are still searching for the remaining 190 escapees.
The violence last week left at least 16 Sudanese nationals dead, with dozens injured and hundreds seeking refuge with the police. In response, the government imposed a nighttime curfew, and President Salva Kiir called for calm. By the weekend, the situation had stabilized, though the curfew remains in effect.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, continues to grapple with political instability, economic challenges, and environmental crises. The civil war that erupted in Sudan in 2023 has forced many South Sudanese living there to return home, while thousands of Sudanese refugees have fled southward to escape the ongoing conflict. According to the United Nations, most of the one million people fleeing Sudan’s war into South Sudan are South Sudanese nationals returning to their homeland.
