By Yiep Joseph
After reports of a brief exchange of gunfire at the Mapaw checkpoint on Sunday, calm returned following intervention.
Early Sunday morning gunshots were heard toward Mapaw Checkpoint, just along the Juba-Bor Road.
The eyewitnesses said that the gunfire came as a result of a misunderstanding between army officials escorting a convoy to Jonglei and the checkpoint officers.
In an interview with this outlet, Mach Kuol, a trader in the Mapaw area, confirmed the incident, citing that some of the soldiers escorting a convoy to Jonglei encountered misunderstandings with those at the checkpoint.
He revealed that the convoy was escorting the body of the late Martha Atong, wife of Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth, a prominent bishop in the story of South Sudan.
Kuol stated that the incident occurred after security escorts in one of the vehicles in the convoy had a misunderstanding with the officers at the checkpoint.
He, however, expressed that calm return immediately.
Kuol expressed that the misunderstanding was resolved and the business operates normally in Mapaw.
He declined to reveal the damages during the gunfire, citing that he only heard from people that some were injured.
Efforts to reach the SSPDF spokesperson for comment were not successful.