SSudan Soldier Kills Four in Warrap

FILE: South Sudan soldiers at the Army headquarters in Juba prepare for deployment, Dec. 28, 2022. (Sheila Ponnie/VOA)

The spokesperson of the South Sudan People Defense Forces (SSPDF) Major General Lul Ruai Koang told reporters in Juba Tuesday that one soldier from the Tiger Division has been arrested in connection with the killing of a South Sudan and three Syrian nationals in Warrap state.

Koang said the country’s Chief of Defense Forces General Santino Deng has instructed his officers to form an emergency court martial for trying the suspect who will be transported to Juba.

Warrap state information minister William Wol told South Sudan in Focus the four were shot in Akon village over the weekend by a soldier who appeared to be a member of the SSPDF.

“On Saturday we a got a report of three Syrians and one South Sudanese being killed by a suspected solider in Akon area. We could not find sufficient report on the incident. Therefore, the governor of Warrap state quickly dispatched an investigation team to the scene,” said Wol.

He said the circumstances that led to the fatal shootings remains unclear.

“We will wait [for] the investigations to give us exactly where they were living and what had made them to clash or what had triggered the murderer to kill them, so we are not sure exactly what they were doing there and exactly the place or location,” added Wol.

He called on residents and humanitarian organizations working in the area to remain calm while state authorities are investigating the motives behind the killings.

“Justice must prevail in accordance to our laws of the Republic of South Sudan. I urge the companies and the international organizations to remain calm. This is uncalled for and this must be dealt with in accordance with our laws,” said Wol.

The latest killings comes amid months of increased communal violence in some parts of the country.

Major General Koang told this program last year that some forces have been deployed to hotspots around the country to contain ongoing violence.