JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Heavy gunfire erupted Thursday in the South Sudanese capital Juba at the home of the country’s former spy chief, who has been under house arrest for two months, residents said.
According to witnesses, soldiers exchanged fire with General Akol Koor’s guards in Juba’s upmarket Thongpiny neighborhood for about an hour.
Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said two people were injured.
“There was a misunderstanding between the military and security forces deployed in the house,” he said, adding that more details would be provided on Friday.
Koor has been under house arrest since early October after being fired from the intelligence service. He was also appointed governor of the state and was dismissed from that position before taking office.
He had been the intelligence chief since 2011, when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.
The government has not commented on Koor’s house arrest and the reasons for his dismissal.
A witness to the gunfire, Ter Manyang Gatwech, said he was in the Thongpiny area when the gunfire started and people rushed to close their shops and take cover.
The area is close to the military headquarters and the country’s main airport.
South Sudan remains vulnerable despite a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war that killed more than 400,000 people.
President Salva Kiir and his former rival-turned-deputy, Riek Machar, have led the implementation of the peace deal and critics say it has taken longer to be fully implemented.
The country’s elections were scheduled for December but were postponed by two years to allow time for the full implementation of key aspects of the peace agreement and for the electoral body to conduct voter registration.
