By Taban Gabriel
Fire at an ammunition depot on Sunday morning in Juba scared citizens which created mixed reactions among the residents.
Heavy gun sounds were heard midnight due to the fire of the ammunition depot at the Giada military barrack in the center of the Capital Juba.
Some Juba residents said they were interrupted from their sleep when sporadic explosions that lasted for close to an hour emanated from the direction of Giada Military Hospital.
The Spokesperson of South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) Major General Lul Ruai Koang assured the public not to be sacred because the fire was purely an incident.
Speaking to the media on Sunday afternoon, Gen. Lul says three people were wounded during the incident and being hospitalized at Giada Military Hospital.
“Lots of military equipment was damaged as you could see, and different types of missile systems were destroyed. The primary suspect is hot weather that might ignite the fire. We have registered eight casualties that got injured, six servicemen and two civilians also wounded including six-month-old girls and pregnant woman and she had miscarried as a result of the explosion,” he said.
The medical bills of those wounded will be covered by the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Gen. Lul affirmed.
This incident is the latest in a series of fires at ammunition depots across South Sudan and Juba in Particular.
In February 2005, an ammunition depot blasted killing 24 people in Custom Market.
Meanwhile, in June 2023, a fire at an SSPDF depot in Unity State injured at least 15 people, including 5 civilians.