Gunfire at home of South Sudan’s former spy chief

Gunfire erupted in South Sudanese capital Juba on the night of November 21st a the home of the country’s former spy chief, residents said as reported by Africa News and agencies.

Witnesses say that soldiers exchanged fire with General Akol Koor’s security guards in the high-end Juba neighbourhood of Thongpiny for around an hour. Koor has ben under house arrest for almost two months.

READ: Coast Guard vessel sunk migrant boat ‘intentionally’ in Tunisia

Army spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang said there were two injuries.  “There was a misunderstanding between the army and security forces deployed at the home,” he said, and added that more details would be provided on November 22nd.

Koor was appointed a state governor and sacked from that position before he took office. He has been under house arrest since early October following his firing from the intelligence service. He had been in charge of intelligence since Since Sudan’s independence in 2011.

The government has not commented about either his arrest or the reasons for his dismissal.

READ: UN says South Sudan floods affect 1.4m, displace 379,00

Ter Manyang Gatwech, who was a witness to the gunfire, said he was in Thongpiny when the gunshots began and that people closed their shops hurriedly, running for cover. The area is close to the military HQ and the country’s main airport.

Africa News, Sudans Post, The East African