On Saturday, two Kenyan doctors were arrested in Aweil, South Sudan, after a fight broke out between the two on the flight. The doctors are aid workers and work for a European church aid group.
Fistfight breaks out on flight in South Sudan
The Kush Air flight took off from Juba International Airport and was headed to the Aweil airstrip when the doctors began fighting. Captain Guot Guot Akol, the police spokesperson in Northern Bahr El Ghazal, told the press,
“The two aid workers, believed to be gynaecologists, were arrested on Saturday last week. According to information from one of the passengers, they started fighting when the Kush Airlines plane left Juba until it landed in Aweil, and again, fought in front of police at the airstrip."
The investigation into the incident has been handed over to Interpol. Photo: Juba Echo
Akol added that the two doctors scared other passengers on the flight; some feared that the men were criminals. The passengers could not comprehend why two members of a society would be fighting onboard an aircraft. Captain Akol added,
“We tried investigating them and their excuse behind the fight was very raw. They claimed to be drunk, but the statements we got from the passengers is that there was no indication of these two people being drunk while at the airport in Juba, and they were even friendly to each other."
It is unclear why the flight continued on to its final destination, being that the passengers began fighting when the plane took off. Not only is it strange that the flight continued, but once the plane landed, the doctors fought in front of the police.
What happens now?
The doctors, Nicholas Wamwangi and Kelvin Kimani, raised suspicion with the police officers because they could not clearly explain why they were flying in the Aweil region. Captain Akol told the press that one of the men had a passport that showed he had traveled to various parts of the Middle East. As to the results of this investigation, Akol said that International Police was involved.
“We are yet to hear from the organization that sent them. But we have processed their documents and presented them to Interpol, which will now investigate the case in collaboration with our Immigration Department.” – Captain Guot Guot Akol
Aviation in South Sudan
Last month, Turkish Airlines added its 51st African destination, Juba. In January, the airline completed its technical review at the Juba International Airport and is due to begin flights on the 1st of June. The route will be operated by the Boeing 737MAX8 three days per week. The duration of the flight from Istanbul to Juba will be 5 hours and 55 minutes, with the return being 15 minutes less.
Turkish will operate a 151-seat Boeing 737MAX8 on the Instanbul – Juba route. Photo: Anna Zvereva | Wikimedia Commons People stand near the cargo plane belonging to a local operator that crashed seven kilometres west of the Juba International airport shortly after takeoff on August 22, 2020, killing four passengers and three crew, with one survivor. – According to the Transport Minister Madut Biar Yol, the crew members were Russian while the passengers were all South Sudanese. The plane owned by local company South West Aviation had been carrying cash to the Wau region in the country's northwest for Juba-based Opportunity Bank. (Photo by David Dhal MALUAL / AFP)
In November of last year, the South Sudanese government banned the use of some Antonov cargo aircraft because of a few fatal accidents. A South Sudanese union led a charge urging the government to rescind the ban because of a humanitarian crisis, stating that some cities/villages were only accessible via plane and that there were no suitable alternatives to the Antonov aircraft.
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Journalist – Passionate about aviation from a young age, Lukas became engaged in aviation photography in 2019. His work has been featured by aviation/travel blogs around the world, and even in a museum in California. Based in Las Vegas- United States
