Curfew and deaths in South Sudan after reprisals on Sudanese people

The police chief in neighboring South Sudan has announced a nightly curfew to defuse tensions, following attacks on businesses and homes owned by Sudanese people.

Police say three people have been killed and seven injured in violent confrontations with security officials in the capital Juba and the northwestern city of Aweil. His nationality has not been disclosed.

According to officials, three houses belonging to Sudanese civilians were set on fire in Aweil.

On Friday, Inspector General Abraham Manyut Peter said no one would be allowed on the streets between 18:00 and 06:00 local time (16:00 and 04:00 GMT) to “protect public and private property.” Any violation can be prevented.” ,

A second police source told the BBC that officers rescued 45 Sudanese businessmen in Juba, who are now being protected at a police station.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan and became an independent country in 2011 after a long civil war, but recently, increasing numbers of Sudanese people have been fleeing to South Sudan to escape the latest conflict.

Sudan has become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis since the country’s warring generals first attacked each other in April 2023. The United Nations says half the population – about 25 million people – is in desperate need of food and aid.

Recent footage showing alleged Sudanese soldiers killing South Sudanese civilians within the past few days shows the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state in central Sudan.

Rights groups confirmed that at least 13 – including some children – were killed because of their ethnicity.

Dark-skinned people say racism is endemic in Sudan, and the targeted attacks on these communities by light-skinned Arab fighters, which are happening today in places like Gezira and Darfur, have a long precedent.

Slave raids are widely reported to have continued until the end of the civil war in 2005, which led to the separation of predominantly black African South Sudan from Arabic-speaking Sudan six years later.

The events depicted in the viral video have been condemned by South Sudanese people at home and in the diaspora abroad.

Angered by what they saw in the clip and wanting to retaliate, hundreds of youths attacked Sudanese-owned businesses in Juba and other parts of South Sudan on Thursday.

When security forces were patrolling, gunshots were heard throughout the night.

The BBC saw dozens of youths – mainly in their 20s – being chased by police on Tambura Road, one of the busiest roads in Juba’s Atalbara suburbs.

Shops and businesses in Juba, including the country’s largest market, closed on Friday. Konyo Konyo, stay closed. Restaurants and cafeterias have also been closed as owners have taken precautionary measures.

Bread prices rose by as much as 17% at some local bakeries in Juba that opened on Friday.

Police continue to pursue youths who are moving from one neighborhood to another to target Sudanese residents. According to the BBC, dozens of police have been deployed to protect Sudanese people and their businesses in the Atlabara Sea suburbs and others.

We saw a police vehicle come and take away a group of youths.

Witnesses in Wau, the country’s second-largest city, told the BBC by phone on Friday that hundreds of angry youths had attacked Souk Jaw, a popular market that houses many Sudanese-owned businesses.

They also attempted to loot several shops, but police fired shots in the air to disperse them.

Elsewhere, spontaneous demonstrations reportedly broke out on Friday in the town of Tonj in Warrap, the home state of President Salva Kiir.

The BBC could not independently verify claims of attacks and looting in areas outside Juba.