Juba, South Sudan,
July 13, 2021 – An exploded hand grenade belonging to SSPDF personnel has injured five children and left them hospitalized in Aweil East County of Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State.
Northern Bahr el Ghazal State security advisor Joseph Akook Aleu, said the police have apprehended suspects linked to the incident that happened last week.
“The children were playing with the grenade and thought it was a normal battery. There were no severe injuries and suspects were arrested after the police carried out thorough investigations,” Akook was quoted by Radio Tamazuj to have said.
Captain Guot Guot Akol, the state police spokesman said the five children were all injured and admitted at Aweil civil hospital.
The official said the police also requested the SSPDF Division 3 to hand over the two suspected soldiers for investigations.
“The hand grenade, according to the reports, belonged to the soldiers under SSPDF’s Division 3 who went to bathe and forgot it (grenade) on the ground and five children came and played with it. By the grace of God, they noted that it was something dangerous and they threw it up and it exploded on them,” said Akol.
The Aweil civil hospital director, Wol Wol Akeen, confirmed to the local media that the victims of the incident were hospitalized.
Incidents of military explosives are becoming common in the region. In February this year, a 13-year-old boy was killed and his sister critically injured after a similar incident involving a grenade explosion in Shilkaw Payam, Nyamlel area of Aweil West County occurred.
