W. Equatoria state officials accuse army of killing civilians
August 26, 2015 (JUBA) – Authorities in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state have accused the national army (SPLA) of allegedly killing dozens of civilians and burning villages after unknown gunmen killed at least six soldiers in Zara county on Tuesday.
He said the soldiers, predominantly members of the Dinka ethnic group, tortured to death a young man who was ferrying an old man to a health facility for treatment.
“It is unfortunate that some lives have been lost. The cause of the loss of lives was due to misunderstanding between the community and the soldiers. It happened that on Monday, one of the military intelligence of the SPLA in Nzara saw one of the youth from the Brissi village and went and told some of his colleagues in the barrack that one of the youth who was involved in the killing of some SPLA soldiers in July was in the market,” the commissioner exclusively told Sudan Tribune by phone Wednesday.
He added, “When his colleagues heard it, they went and arrested the young man. He was later tortured to death when he tried to run away. He was shot dead. This angered the community and in the night, the family of a military intelligence of the SPLA was set on fire. They were burned. The SPLA responded again. This time indiscriminately”.
The official queried why the army ignored area authorities and instead “acted unilaterally”.
The army spokesman said its unit engaged a local militias in Nzara, but no civilian died.
In July, three government soldiers were ambushed and killed by unknown gunmen as they traveled to the state capital, Yambio. No group, however, claimed responsibility and the SPLA believed the attacked was carried out by the local youth in response to the earlier attack in which government troops also killed two civilians in Brissi village.
Several State officials told Sudan Tribune in a series of interviews on Wednesday that the government had so far documented more than 38 deaths at the hands of the army.
The acting state governor, Sapana Abui said she received reports that armed groups stormed some villages, razed down houses and many lives of men, women and children were lost”, but added that the army vowed to probe alleged attacks on civilians.
(ST)