Seven people in one family were killed in an arson incident in Yambio county of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state on Monday night, according to the state government.
The state government’s spokesperson Charles Barnaba Kisanga said the incident was connected with an earlier shooting of a youth by SPLA soldiers in Nzara.
Barnaba said two men were detained by some SPLA soldiers between Nzara and Birisi, where there had been previous tension between SPLA and local residents. The soldiers shot dead one of the men when he tried to run away. The other is still being held.
Relatives of the man who was shot then decided to take revenge on the family of someone they suspected to have informed the SPLA about their son.
“The occupants of the house, which is across Asanza river on the way to Gangura was attacked and possibly shot dead before being set ablaze in the thatched huts. 7 people of the same family perished and their bodies was brought to Yambio police station and hospital this morning,” Barnaba said.
The state government spokesperson said an investigation has been launched into the “very regrettable incident.”
Acting Governor Sapana Abuyi asked the general public to show restraint and refrain from revenge. He said revenge brings injustice and could spark a cycle of violence.