Abraham murder: FBI official expected in Juba this week
December 18, 2012 (JUBA) – A senior official from the United State’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is expected to arrive in Juba this week to assist South Sudan’s police investigate the murder of a renowned political commentator, the US embassy said Tuesday.
Involvement of the US-based intelligence agency follows a 13 December meeting between South Sudan President, Salva Kiir and Susan Page, the US Ambassador to Juba, during which Kiir accepted an offer for FBI assistance.
Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan, a South Sudanese blogger was shot and killed on 4 December, after unknown assailants stormed his home in Gudele, located in the south-west of the capital, Juba.
No arrests have been made despite relentless efforts to track down his killers, while a $50,000 reward, courtesy of the country’s national security, has been promised to anyone with information on Abraham’s killers.
Abraham’s family say that he had received regular threats to stop his writing, which was regularly critical of the government and was published in Sudan Tribune and other websites.
Princeton Lyman, the US special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan on Friday expressed concerns over Abraham’s killings, urging South Sudanese authorities to carry out thorough investigations into his death.
“We hope that the investigation of that terrible tragedy will send a signal to all those who would violate the basic human rights here in South Sudan” Lyman told a press conference in Juba. The special envoy said he hoped that those responsible will be held to account.
(ST)