100 youth arrested on suspicion of gang formation in Malakal

Author: Michael Daniel | Published: 28 minutes ago

Map of the Upper Nile State. (Courtesy of).

Security forces in Upper Nile state on Sunday arrested at least 100 youths in the capital Malakal on suspicion of being members of criminal gangs.

Deng Jou, deputy governor of Upper Nile, said the arrests were made after the State Security Commission gave the military the responsibility of taming the unruly youth.

The deputy governor said the young men were disrupting the peace in the state capital and police were struggling to contain their activities.

“The gangs that are out of control in the city are exceeding the capacity of the police and the judiciary in the state, because some members of these gangs are sometimes armed,” he said.

“We, in the State Security Commission, have agreed to give this responsibility to the military to deal with the affairs of youth gangs. To confirm our words, the military troops have arrested 100 members of the gangs. At present, the police authorities are investigating them.”

According to him, the suspected gang members will be brought to justice and security forces will continue to carry out searches until security is restored.

“Those who are proven to belong to gangs will be prosecuted. Those who are proven not to belong to youth gangs have been released. This campaign to arrest the outrageous gangs will continue until security is restored in the city and these gangs are eliminated.”

The Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, and other cities have been plagued by gang-related crime and intercommunal violence, a situation exacerbated by the influx of refugees from neighboring Sudan.