Authorities in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State have arrested at least 16 members of the organized forces accused of terrorizing civilians in the area recently.
The soldiers all SSPDF officers are suspected of killings, torture, and looting of civilian villages in the Abegi area of Lasu Payam on the 27th of March 2022.
According to the Civil-Military Relations Chief in Yei, the soldiers were arrested following an investigation over recent violence in Abegi that left at least four people dead, two civilians, and two soldiers.
Lt. Col Michael Machar disclosed that all stolen items from the civil population have also been returned.
“We want to tell the public that, those who were brought from Abegi are 16 or 15 soldiers. They were accused of looting and what they have taken from the civil population has been taken back to them,” Machar told Radio Tamazuj in Yei over the weekend.
For his part, the Commissioner of Yei River County said the officers arrested are being detained at the Military Headquarters in the area and an investigation is ongoing.
Aggrey Cyrus disclosed that those responsible for committing the atrocities will be tried at the Military Court Martial in Yei Town this month.
“Those who carried out the killing, all of them are arrested they are under detention and the specific killers are also identified and they are awaiting trials in the court-martial,” Mr. Cyrus stated.
“Nobody will be left untried even those who have killed SSPDF, they will be looked for and they will be brought to justice,” he added.
In October 2020, the court-martial in Yei sentenced 24 SSPDF soldiers to prison for committing various crimes.
They were arrested and convicted of committing crimes such as sexual violence between 2019 and 2020 in areas of Yei River, Central Equatoria State.
They are also charged with rape, looting, killing, and selling of personnel weapons, among others.
Areas around Yei continue to experience insecurity due to the presence of armed groups there.
Last month, the medical charity, Medicines Sans Frontiers suspended movements to support health facilities outside Yei town, after two of its vehicles were burned.
Authorities in Yei County later said the attacks were carried out by the National Salvation Front (NAS), allegations denied by the Gen. Thomas Cirilo forces days later.