New IGP General Atem Marol Biar addresses a group of youth apprehended in Gumbo Sherikat. November 20, 2023 (-)

South Sudan Police Spokesperson maintained that the ongoing crackdown in Juba is only intended to apprehend criminal gangs and not to wrongfully prosecute innocent people amid an outcry over wrongful arrests in the capital.

Some members of the public, including celebrities, criticized the police operations that are alleged to have resulted in collective punishment.

On Monday, November 20, police reported the arrest of about 70 youth during operations at the Gumbo Sherikat area.

Pictures shared on social media show the Inspector General of Police, General Atem Marol Biar addressing the young men, most of whom have locs and different hairstyles.

The detained youth included two artists, one of whom claims he was forced to shave his dreadlocks before being released.

Major General Daniel Justin, however said the police do not have criteria for identifying and arresting those suspected to be affiliated with the gangs.

The security official admits that the crackdown sometimes ends up with the arrest of people without charges, in what he describes as an unfortunate situation.

He asserted that those that have been wrongfully arrested have been freed following interrogations.

“We do not have certain criteria for the crackdown. Sometimes we find gang groups fighting and arrest them including people found at the scene,” General Justin said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“For example, we can find an innocent young man during an operation, he could be fleeing to his home but unfortunately, he would be arrested and later after the investigation he will be released because the circumstances led him to the scene of the accident.”

“So, I cannot tell you what the criteria is of arresting these young people, but we arrest according to suspicion.”

Akau Jambo is a standup comedian, who recently attended the YALI fellowship training in the United States.

Jambo, who himself has dreadlocks, said he narrowly survived police arrest over the nature of his hair style.

Speaking to Eye Radio, he condemned the indiscriminate arrest of youth saying the police must take time to track criminal networks and arrest the right suspects.

“Respectfully, I would say that is very shallow intelligence and I am actually disappointed that an institution that we highly believe in to keep law and order resorted to shallow intelligence to keep law and order,” Jambo said.

“You can’t just go on the street and arrest every single person, and then you say okay now the one who are not the suspects will prove themselves at the police station.”

“It is your job to really really crackdown on those people, and you can’t do it by picking everyone. Perhaps the biggest criminals do not have dreadlocks or do not dress that way.”

On his part, Reech Malual, a Human Rights Lawyer said he acknowledges the police response to increasing gang crimes in Juba.

But Malual said police detectives should go an extra mile in accurately identifying criminal gangs.

“We have to applaud the authorities for making everything possible to keep law and order. However, we also have to be able to support them. But nonetheless, they have to be able to identify the rightful people that are suspected,” he said.

He added that collective arrests will make some members of the public to discredit the police.

“We cannot deny that there is a high crime rate in Juba, and this is becoming a problem. There is Toronto and there is so forth. However, it wouldn’t make sense that you crack down on anybody.”

“They should extra mile, the CID should go extra mile in being able to identify the real crew members, in being able to go down toe to toe with the crew members, and not arrest anybody because this will also allow other people to discredit the police.”