Suspected gang members based in Lologo Residential area. (Photo: SSNPS).

Some unruly gangs in Juba’s Lologo suburb known for streets fighting and alcohol abuse in the city have told police officials they formed those groups to protect themselves and their families from the menace of other fellow thugs.

Brigadier General Salah Salim, the Director of Community Policing at the National Police Service said some members of one of the gang groups – which he did mention its name – said they were forced to unite to encounter criminal activities in the area.

General Salim said the unidentified group told a police-led non-violence outreach campaign that they formed a vigilante clique to defend themselves against the infamous Wrong Boys and Wrong Girls groups in Lologo slums.

“Lologo area has the biggest groups including Wrong Boys and Wrong Girls. They are a threat to the community; they kill people and burn houses, and this is really what is happening,” Salim told Eye Radio’s Dawn Show.

“So, on Saturday (November 17), we conducted outreach program there, and we brought youth together and asked them why you are doing these. So, their testimony was, yes, we are doing wrong things, but we are forced to do that.”

“They said those Wrong Boys are a threat to us here, they beat our mothers and family members, they event prevent us [youth] from moving freely, that’s why they formed a group to defend themselves and their families.”

According to the police official, he was surprised to learn about the genesis of some of the groups which have often been termed a security threat in the capital.

“All this time I didn’t know about it, I found out that they are defending themselves, so we all have to work hard and research about these groups of niggas.”

In September 2021, the Ministry of Interior embarked on community policing to improve security in the country.

Community Policing is a model that focuses on building relationships and collaborating with those they protect and serve.

However, gang-related crimes continue to be reported in some residential areas such as Nyakuron, Muuniki, Gudele among others.