South Sudan president urges ‘restraint’ after looting in capital

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has urged restraint after an anti-Sudanese demonstration in the capital Juba degenerated into looting.

Police fired warning shots on Thursday after protesters pillaged Sudanese-owned shops during a demonstration against the reported deaths of 29 South Sudanese citizens in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan’s Al-Jazira State.

AFP has not been able to independently verify the reported deaths.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

It faces chronic instability, violence and extreme poverty, lately exacerbated by some of the worst flooding in decades and a massive influx of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan.

“We must not allow anger to cloud our judgement, and individuals fleeing violence deserve protection,” Kiir’s office said in a statement late Thursday.

“I call on all of you to exercise restraint and allow the government of South Sudan and Sudan to address this matter.”

Since April 2023, a war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 12 million people and pushed hundreds of thousands into famine.

Both sides have been accused of targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas, with the RSF specifically accused of ethnic cleansing, systematic sexual violence and laying siege to entire towns.

The Sudanese army this week retook Wad Madani from the RSF, which controlled the city for over a year.