Gunshots rang out at the home of former spy chief under house arrest in South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Loud gunfire rang out late Thursday. South Sudan Locals said he was at the home of the country’s former spy chief, who has been under house arrest for the past two months, in the capital Juba.

According to eyewitnesses, soldiers exchanged fire with General Akol Koor’s security guards in Juba’s upscale Thongpiny district for nearly an hour.

Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said two people were injured.

“There was a misunderstanding between the army and the security forces operating at the home,” he said, adding that more details would be provided on Friday.

Koor has been under house arrest since the beginning of October after he was fired from the intelligence agency. He was also appointed governor of the province and was removed from that position before taking office.

He had been the intelligence boss since 2011, when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.

The government did not comment on the reasons for Koor’s house arrest and dismissal.

Ter Manyang Gatwech, who witnessed the gunshots, said that he was in the Thongpiny area when the gunshots started and people hurriedly closed their shops and ran to hide.

The area is located near the military headquarters and the country’s main airport.

South Sudan remains fragile despite 2018 peace agreement This ended a five-year civil war in which more than 400,000 people died.

President Salva Kiir and his former rival Riek Machar, a member of parliament, were responsible for implementing the peace agreement, and critics say it took longer to fully implement the agreement.

Elections in the country were planned to be held in December but were postponed for two years to allow time for the full implementation of key aspects of the peace agreement and to give the electoral body time to conduct voter registration.