The government has “beefed up security in the country” following last week’s terrorist threat alert issued by the United States embassy in Juba, the police spokesperson has said.
On 31 January, the US warned its citizens in South Sudan to be vigilant, saying: “Recent information indicates Westerners may be targeted by terrorists”.
The embassy said terrorists may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting hotels, restaurants, shopping areas, and other areas where large crowds gather and westerners visit.
The embassy urged its personnel to reconsider visiting locations frequented by Westerners or areas where large groups.
“…for us the security organs, such an information is taken seriously,” Maj.-Gen. Daniel Justin told Eye Radio on Tuesday.
“And as a result, we have beefed up the security all over the country, and we are monitoring the situation very closely.”
However, it’s unclear whether there is an anti-terrorism unit in the police department.
Terrorists have been targeting Westerners in the region, mostly in Kenya, which has been the scene of various attacks attributed to terrorist elements under al-Shabab.
This occurs despite good intelligence and presence of anti-terror units in the country.
The latest terrorist incident occurred in Nairobi on January 15, 2019, when a group of al-Shabaab terrorists carried out a deadly attack against an office complex, which also hosts the Dusit D2 luxury hotel.
In the course of the overnight siege, 21 people were killed and at least 28 injured.