A court martial in South Sudan’s town of Yei, Central Equatoria State, has sentenced 24 soldiers to several terms in prison for crimes against humanity and other offences.
The judge says the members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) were arrested and convicted of committing crimes including rape, looting, killing and selling personal weapons.
The crimes were committed between 2019 and 2020 in Yei River State.
In a court hearing presided over by Judge, Captain Joseph James on Friday, the officers were convicted following two to four months of the supply of conclusive evidence against them.
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“Various SSPDF personnel, starting from the highest rank of lieutenant colonel to the lowest rank of private, were sentenced to several terms in prison,” said Gen Lul Ruai, SSPDF spokesperson.
“Most of them got the highest sentences of 14 years, with the lowest getting two years. This is an indication that we at the army don’t condone the commission of crimes against civilians and the government,”
Among the convicts is Thuch Majok, a caporal who was stripped to the rank of private, dismissed from the SSPDF, fined 500,000 pounds and sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape.
Others include Sergeant Andria Aguer, Captain Joseph Luiz, Santino Garang Majok, James Mayuen and Corporal Daniel Anyaya.
