FILE PHOTO: Maj Lith Wilson John, Deputy Police Spokesperson - courtesy

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – The National Police Service has clarified a misunderstanding that occurred yesterday in Gumbo Shirkat, Juba, between officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and soldiers from Tiger Division.

Deputy Police Spokesperson Major Lith Winston Simon told Eye Radio that the incident was the result of a miscommunication.

CID officers, who were in civilian clothes, were pursuing a suspect when soldiers from the Tiger Division mistook the operation for a crime in progress and briefly stopped the CID vehicle.

The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into a September 4 shooting in Juba’s Hai Prisons residential area, where a man was killed and his motorcycle was stolen.

Police say one suspect had already been arrested earlier this week, and information from him led them to the second suspect in Gumbo Shirkat.

The suspect attempted to resist arrest but was subdued after being shot in the leg.

The gunfire alarmed residents, who initially mistook the plainclothes CID officers for criminals and called in the soldiers from the Tiger Division.

The situation was quickly clarified and resolved without further incident.

The Police Service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property, while appreciating public cooperation in ongoing security operations.