More than 400 suspects have been recaptured after escaping from a military detention facility in South Sudan earlier on Wednesday, according to the South Sudan National Police.
Colonel John Kassara, the police spokesperson, confirmed that both police and military forces fired guns into the air in Juba as they pursued the escapees from the Giada detention center. He stated that while over 400 of the detainees have been recaptured, nearly 200 are still at large. The individuals were originally detained in connection with violent demonstrations in Juba, where mobs attacked Sudanese residents and looted their businesses last week, following reports of a massacre of South Sudanese civilians by the Sudan Armed Forces in the town of Wad Al Madani.
Kassara explained, “Some prisoners who had robbed shops during the violent demonstrations in Juba, which were triggered by the massacre of South Sudanese by the Sudanese Army Forces in Wad Al Madani, broke out from the military detention facility in Giada this morning at 9:30 AM. Of the 600 detainees, 550 are civilians and 50 are members of the organized forces.”
Luate Satimon Joel, the chief executive director of the Juba-based advocacy group Integrity South Sudan, expressed concerns about the lack of a prompt legal process following the re-arrest of over 400 people. “The recent detentions followed by violence in Juba, triggered by the tragic massacre in Wad Al Madani, raise serious concerns about the adherence to justice and human rights principles. The escape from the military detention facility in Giada also highlights systemic issues within our detention practices,” Joel stated.
He further criticized the detention of such a large number of individuals without ensuring their right to a fair and speedy trial. “Detaining such a large number of individuals without ensuring their right to a fair and speedy trial undermines public trust in the South Sudanese legal system.”
Joel emphasized that all detainees must be treated with dignity and their cases processed swiftly and transparently, in line with South Sudan’s legal framework and international human rights standards. “It is crucial that all detainees are treated with dignity and their cases processed swiftly and transparently, in line with South Sudan’s legal framework and international human rights standards,” he added.
The ongoing crisis has drawn significant attention, as hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan following the eruption of violence between the Sudanese national army and the rival Rapid Support Forces. The United Nations has reported that the conflict has displaced more than 11 million people, left tens of thousands dead, and placed many communities at risk of famine.