South Sudanese rebels allied to former First Vice President Riek Machar have strongly condemned the killing of six aid workers in an ambush along the Juba-Pibor road on Saturday.
The bodies of the slain aid workers from a national organization were found on the road by other members of the convoy who were some way behind, according to UN officials.
“Humanitarian workers have always been of great help to the suffering population of South Sudan in PoCs [Protection of Civilians] sites, refugee and IDP camps. We respect their hard work and sacrifices in helping most vulnerable communities,” said SPLA-IO deputy spokesman, Paul Gabriel Lam.
“It’s unfortunate that this support is being negatively understood by some negative forces,” he added.
Lam accused government troops of involvement in the attack, saying it the incident took place in an area controlled by the Juba government. “We are aware that the area where this barbaric incident took place is under the control of Juba regime and its militias,” he said.
The SPLA-IO rebels called for an independent investigation into the killing of aid worker.
For his part, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, urged the government to investigate the incident and apprehend the killers.
“They should not be allowed to go unpunished. Young men are being armed without training and are able to act with impunity by all sides, ”he said.