Police Spokesperson Maj.-Gen. Daniel Justin | File Photo

Police in Juba are holding 12 armed men after a shootout at Thongping residential area last evening.

Residents there and those near the Munuki area were rocked with sounds of gunfire at around 9pm as a combined forces battled with criminals.

Several people were spotted fleeing the scene, scampering for safety.

Major-General Daniel Justin, the spokesperson of the national police service told Eye Radio all those involved in the shootout have been arrested.

“We managed to arrest all of them. As a result of exchange of fire, 2 of them were wounded and now they are getting treatment in hospital. And the situation is now calm,” said Daniel Justin.

Police say two of them were wounded in the incident.

The armed men reportedly broke into a home yesterday, and chased the owner of the house , before terrorizing residents of the area.

They allegedly wanted to forcefully evict the occupants, claiming the land belonged to one of them.

Police say after a tip-off,

Security forces were deployed to the area to prevent violence, but instead the armed men, already occupying the house, fired at them.

“It happened yesterday [Sunday] around 10 pm, a group of armed people came at night and chased away the owner of that house. As a result, the owner called the police,” said the police spokesperson.

“They locked themselves inside the room. When we went there, they managed to open the door. They started shooting at the police. That was the reason of yesterday’s shooting.”