Aerial view a section of Juba City. Photo: Courtesy

South Sudan National Police Spokesperson has confirmed an ongoing search operation by security forces at some residential areas in Juba City, urging members of the public to cooperate with the exercise.

Colonel John Kassara Koang said the house-to-house search operation is intended to collect illegally possessed firearms from civilians.

“In fact this is just a normal disarmament. It is a disarmament that is going on right now. They started yesterday at night, and it is still ongoing,” Koang told Eye Radio.

The Joint Operation Force comprising members of the SSPDF, Police and National Security Service officers are deployed at checkpoints in different residential areas of Juba to provide security.

Early on Monday, some witnesses in the streets of Juba recounted seeing security officers going from house to house and pulling vehicles to the roadsides for security checks.

One Gudele resident who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the officers visited his house and politely told him they were searching for firearms and foreign currencies.

“They came to my house at around 8 in the morning. They requested permission for them to search my house. And I was like, what are you looking for, then they said, well, they have been ordered to do a house to house search for guns and hard currency, including USD,” he said.

“I said, okay, that’s fine. You’re welcome. So they first asked me, am I employed or not? So I allowed them to search my room.”

“They looking for what they were looking for and then they went to the next house. The personnel who entered my house include police, the National Security, and SSPDF, and they were friendly.”

When contacted for comment, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the search operation in some selected areas in the capital.

General Lul said the joint force is targeting some areas reported to of high risk of insecurity.

“It’s true that our joint security forces conducted vehicle searches as well as house-to-house searches in some residential areas that included Gudele,” he said.

“The reason for that operation was resumption of collection of weapons in the hands of people who are not authorized to carry them. It is based on security reports we have received. The commanding officers will determine the duration based on the level of success.”