Two Kenyan humanitarian workers are being held in the northwestern part of South Sudan after a fistfight on a flight last weekend.
Nicholas Wamwangi, 30, and Kelvin Kimani, 29, were still being held in custody on Thursday, police in Aweil have confirmed.
The two Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) employees boarded a Kush Airline flight from Juba International Airport on March 12 and were apprehended upon arrival at Aweil airstrip.
“The two aid workers, believed to be gynecologists, were arrested on Saturday last week,” said Captain Guot Guot Akol, the police spokesperson in Northern Bahr El Ghazal.
“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.”
Read: Flashy South Sudanese National Lawrence Malong Handed Six-year Jail Term in Uganda Over Gold Fraud
Five days later, police have said, it is still unclear what prompted the exchange of blows that caused alarm among passengers on board.
The altercation prompted the plane crew to notify police and aviation authorities.
“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,” said Captain Akol
“However, on Wednesday, the chairman of Kenya Association came to us and he is following the case amiably.”
According to the spokesman, police have now determined that the two suspects were inebriated during the fistfight.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
