Police in the border town of Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State called on their counterparts in the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) to promptly arrest a fellow soldier who stands accused of rape.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday when a group of SSPDF personnel forcibly extracted their fellow officer from the Nimule High Court during a trial. The soldier in question faces grave allegations of raping a ten-year-old girl in the early months of last year. The accused is reported to be affiliated with the Highway Joint Operations of the SSPDF.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Maj. David Khasmiro with the Nimule Police said: “This incident of the SSPDF storming the court to retract their officer happened yesterday (Wednesday) at around 11:00 AM. And the rape incident occurred since January last year. This soldier is accused of raping a ten-year-old girl. He was brought in for investigation, but their colleagues took him away.”
“After the case was forwarded to court, a summon was issued for the soldier to appear before court, but he did not appear. His superior officers and administration of the Highway Joint Operations were summoned to appear before the court, but they declined. The Nimule High Court issued another summon, and this time, the soldier was brought to court on Wednesday for the court hearing. The court ruling was supposed to be today (Thursday). The soldier came to court accompanied by his army colleagues. The presiding judge told the accompanying soldiers that the accused would not be leaving the court because of the nature of the ruling. The soldiers did not listen and grew angry and finally forcefully removed the accused from the court,” he explained.
Maj. Khasmiro emphasized that the police within the court were outnumbered and unable to prevent the soldiers from taking their colleague. Nevertheless, he assured the public that justice would prevail.
“The police in the court could not prevent the soldiers because they came in a large number. The court could not do anything but to report the case to the headquarters. In the end, the suspect will be brought to court. This case cannot end like that. People should not fear a soldier. As a member of the community, a soldier should respect and abide by the law. A soldier is not greater than any other person in the society. All people are equal before the law, and this soldier will be brought back to court soon, and he will face the court,” Maj. Khasmiro said.
In response to inquiries regarding these troubling events, the South Sudan People’s Defense Force headquarters, Bilpham, claimed to be unaware of the incident. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the SSPDF spokesperson, stated, “I did not hear about this issue. Let me ask the authorities in Nimule.”
Maj. Akol Amet Amet, the SSPDF commander in Nimule, acknowledged his awareness of the situation but clarified that the soldiers who stormed the court were not under his jurisdiction. He explained, “We heard about this information late yesterday, and the judge did not even call me on the phone about this case. People who did this are soldiers of Highway Joint Operations, and their commander is different and not in my barracks. Here, I am in charge of the Presidential Guards (Tiger division). So I am in charge of the security in the whole of Nimule security but the soldiers who came to court and took away their colleague are from the Highway Joint Operations. This incident has been ongoing, and the soldier had been asked to come to court, but all failed. Some witnesses were not present. So, this soldier was to be put in custody for witnesses to appear today. According to the information I have heard, his commander did not understand why his officer would be held in custody, and he ordered for the accused officer to be removed from court.”