File: A new house in Lemon Gaba residential area. |Courtesy

One person has been wounded after bandits exchanged gunsfire with some armed residents in Lemon Gaba area.

The incident happened last night at Juba’s residential area.

According to the SSPDF acting spokesperson, unknown criminals attacked some homes in the area but were met with resistance by some residents who were also armed.

“It was actually a struggle between an habitant of Lemon Gaba residential area and a group of the so-called unknown gunmen,” Brigadier General Santo Domic confirmed.

He stated that the attackers looted some properties and escaped after being shot at by the resident.

“They fought, and I think one of the civilians was shot and he was evacuated to Juba military hospital for treatment.” 

The identity of the attackers is not known. But last week, some security officers admitted that some of their colleagues are forced into committing crime because of the economic hardship.

They blamed the government saying they lack the motivation to do their work because of lack of payment.

Armed men broke into makeshift houses and robbed residents of their money, phones, stereos, bed sheets and other valuables in Mauna residential area in Juba.

They said men in uniform have been terrorizing and extorting money from them at night.

In their defense, some security officers told Eye Radio that they forced into crime because of the economic hardship.

“I am a corporal, my salary is 1,710 SSP. What will this amount do? Will it buy a bag of sorghum? It can’t,” one officer told Eye Radio.

Residents of Lemon Gaba have often complained raised of increasing insecurity -especially violent night robberies in the area.

It is an area prone to armed attacks. In 2018, military clashes involving the army, police and suspected armed opposition fighters saw the heavy deployment of artillery fire, police tanks and military presence in the area.