Authorities in Twic County have detained at least 16 soldiers in connection with a nighttime market raid in Turalei town that left a businessman counting losses of more than 18 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP).
The incident, which occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 2, targeted a shop owned by Sudanese trader Adam Salaman Adam.
According to Salaman, the attackers broke into his store, smashed a padlock, and emptied a safe box containing SSP 18,000,000, along with food and non-food items.
“In the morning when we came, I found my shop broken with money taken an amount of 18,000,000 SSP and some items,” Salaman told Mayardit FM, a local radio station.
“This requires the government to strengthen efforts in protecting Turalei Market. Traders and citizens need security for their properties and safety.”
Thursday’s robbery was the second major break-in reported in Turalei Market this week.
On Monday, unidentified individuals looted another shop, stealing SSP 570,000, 28 Tecno phones, a battery, a memory card, and a large Bluetooth speaker.
The rising number of thefts has prompted concern among the local business community.
Garang Mangok, chairperson of the Turalei Payam Traders Union, condemned the attacks and called on authorities to boost security presence in the market.
“Government needs to allocate forces at different locations, in the middle of the market, along the road, and block the market, to prevent theft. We need strong action to arrest suspects,” Mangok said.
Responding to the latest incident, Twic County Commissioner John Mabior Marup confirmed the detention of 16 members of a joint security force who had been assigned to patrol the market on the night of the robbery.
Mabior said the soldiers failed to fulfill their duty to protect traders’ property and would be held accountable.
“As we talk now, I have arrested all the forces that were in control and patrolling unit last night,” Mabior told reporters.
“I will hold them accountable for all the losses encountered because they failed to ensure proper protection after they promised traders their properties would be safe.”
Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the detained soldiers are directly suspected of involvement in the robbery or are being held for negligence.
However, their arrest has intensified public scrutiny of security operations in the area.
Local traders are urging the government to increase patrols, set up checkpoints, and take tougher action against those responsible for the raids, warning that repeated incidents risk undermining trade and livelihoods in Turalei’s bustling market.
