South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) said on Monday that it will together with a team from the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs investigate the recent fire that gutted the ammunition depot at the Giada military barrack.
The Standing Committee on Defense and Veterans Affairs in the TNLA said in a statement on Monday that it was saddened by the “unfortunate eruption” of fire inside the SSPDF Giada military barrack.
“We will join hands with the Ministry of Defense and Chief of Defense Forces to ensure that such incidences are avoided in the future, and we will also make sure that in case anyone is found guilty he or she shall be held accountable,” it said.
SSPDF spokesperson Maj.Gen Lul Ruai Koang confirmed on Sunday the fire that broke out midnight Saturday was suspected to have been caused by hot weather.
Eight servicemen got injured by shrapnel and two civilians including a six-month-old girl and a woman that was pregnant had a miscarriage due to the explosion.
“In the last three days, Juba has been very hot with temperatures going to around 40 degrees Celsius. Some of the weaponry systems, some of the rounds of ammunition we have do not go together with very hot temperature,” Koang told journalists.
He said that several shells and ammunition rounds, including missile systems, were destroyed in the fire.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) called on the government to improve its ammunition storage systems after the Giada explosion.
“This incident which happened yesterday in the military barracks of Giada shows us very clearly that the status of our stockpiling management is not in a proper situation,” Yakani said.
He said that having in place proper storage mechanisms for weapons and ammunition are one of the benchmarks for lifting the United Nations arms embargo imposed on South Sudan.
“It is inadequate and substandard, and I appeal to the Commander in Chief, His Excellency, President Salva Kiir to commission an independent commission to conduct an investigation in a transparent manner,” Yakani said.
