Heavy traffic jam during Custom-Gudele road. November 2023. - Photo by Stephen Omiri/Eye Radio

Heavy gunfire rattled Juba city on Tuesday night, leaving residents in the Mauna area questioning events in the national capital.

According to accounts gathered by Eye Radio, sporadic gunfire echoed through residential neighbourhoods near the ministries complex, national parliament, and blocked-off roads lined with military vehicles.

Residents have urgently called upon the police spokesperson to provide clarity on the unfolding events.

Nonetheless, some individuals revealed to Eye Radio that Tuesday’s unrest significantly disrupted their sense of peace and security.

Emmanuel Panadol, a senior resident of Mauna, shared his reflections on the incident during a morning interview with Eye Radio.

“On Tuesday [yesterday] at 10 pm, there was heavy gunfire at the roundabout of Seven-day and the other side of Kololo and till Mauna classic hotel,” Panadol told Eye Radio.

“We did not sleep well because when we heard this sound of gunfire, also we are in Mauna we are very much concerned,” he said.

“This gunfire stopped at midnight but it started at 10 pm with on and off, these are things that happened to us yesterday night.

“We are asking our government what kind of things is happening in this town, this can scare people, we have foreigners with us in this town” he said.

“We need the spokesperson of the police to explain to us why this gunshot happened yesterday.”

Some of the residents of Hai Mauna narrated what happened to Eye Radio.

“We did not sleep that night and now I am just lying down because of this incident of last, this gunshot is a lot,” one of the residents told Eye Radio.

“We are tired because it’s just near to our house here in Hai Mauna, they shot a car, we don’t deserve this thing,” he said.

“We are not bad, because this gunshot is very heavy, we did a lot of sports training like you have to sleep down and get up to your bed, things we don’t do always,” another resident identified only as John said.

When contacted by Eye Radio, the spokesperson of the South Sudan Peoples Défense Force had promised to explain later when consulting with his boss.