WARRAP – At least 16 soldiers were arrested in Twic County, Warrap State, in connection with a nighttime raid in Turalei town on Thursday during which a businessman lost 18 million South Sudan pounds.
The Sudanese trader, Adam Salaman Adam, said the incident occurred around 1:00 AM, Mayardit FM, a community radio station there reports.
Salaman said he discovered the break-in early in the morning on October 2 while supervising his shop, located along the main road crossing Turalei Market.
According to the businessman, the thieves broke the padlock and emptied a safe box containing SSP18,000,000, along with several food and non-food items.
“In the morning when we came, I found my shop broken with money taken—an amount of 18,000,000 SSP and some items. This requires the government to strengthen efforts in protecting Turalei Market. Traders and citizens need security for their properties and safety,” Salamang said.
The theft is the second in Turalei Market within the same week. On Monday, unknown individuals raided another shop, stealing SSP 570,000, 28 Tecno phones, one battery, one memory card, and a large Bluetooth speaker.
Turalei Payam Traders Union Chairperson, Garang Mangok, condemned the rising thefts and urged the government to deploy more forces in different parts of the market.
“Government needs to allocate forces at different locations, middle of the market, along the road, and block the market, to prevent theft. We need strong action to arrest suspects,” Garang stated.
In response, Twic County Commissioner John Mabior Marup confirmed the incident and announced the arrest of 16 joint force members who were patrolling the market that night. He said the officers failed in their duty to protect traders’ property.
“As we talk now, I have arrested all the forces that were in control and patrolling unit last night. I will hold them accountable for all the lost encountered last night because they fail to ensure good protection after they promise trader that they will protect their properties,” Mabior stated.
Traders in Turalei are urging authorities to step up security as incidents of night raids continue to rise in the market.