A shooting broke out on the evening of Thursday, November 21, at the residence of Akol Koor, South Sudan’s recently dismissed intelligence chief, according to a military source. Media reports suggest the incident occurred during an attempted arrest.
The gunfire began near Juba’s airport and lasted for about an hour, a journalist reported. Military spokesperson Nul Ruai Kong confirmed to UN peacekeeping radio that the shooting involved security forces stationed at Koor’s residence for additional protection.
“It was a misunderstanding among our forces, which escalated into gunfire,” said Kong, adding that two soldiers were injured. Authorities quickly intervened to de-escalate the situation and ordered the forces to cease fire.
Akol Koor, who had led the National Security Service (NSS) since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, was dismissed by President Salva Kiir in October and reassigned as governor of Warrap state. The government has not explained the transfer, which came weeks after South Sudan announced a two-year postponement of its first elections, originally scheduled for December.
South Sudan has been mired in political instability and ethnic conflict since its independence. A civil war between President Kiir and his rival Riek Machar erupted in 2013, claiming 400,000 lives and displacing millions.