The bodies of a woman and her children have been recovered from a burnt home in the Suuk Sita suburb of Juba. The mother is suspected of having killed her children prior to setting the house on fire while she was still inside on Wednesday night, according to police.

A source who said he watched the burning of the house told Radio Tamazuj that the bodies were found inside the house after the fire, noting the children found inside the house appeared as if they had been killed with a knife.

He said there were three children including a baby boy and two girls – though police have said there were only two children killed.

“Everybody has seen the knife mark around the neck like the mother slaughtered them before she set the house into fire,” said the source.

“No one knows exactly what happened to the family but people said the husband to the women was a cashier in the Ministry of Defense and he was said to be in Wau for official duties,” he added.

The Central Equatoria Police Commissioner Henry Danima said that the woman killed her own children, but he also noted neighbors are being questioned about the incident. He was quoted by Eye Radio in Juba as saying, “Until now we don’t know what the motive is. She killed her two children. After that she entered into that room which she set the fire on it.”

The police commissioner added that neighbors are being investigated over the incident.