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PIBOR - 8 Aug 2013

SPLA soldiers held for Pibor murders ‘will be brought to justice’

The two SPLA soldiers thought to be responsible for the incident near Pibor town on July 31st in which two women were killed and a child seriously injured will be held accountable, according to officials in Pibor.

The Commander of the SPLA in Pibor, General James Wut Tong, said that the two soldiers are detained and an investigation is underway. The commander was speaking during a visit by Western diplomats to Pibor on Tuesday.

The soldiers will soon have to face a military or civilian court, he said.

This was also affirmed by the County Commissioner of Pibor, Joshua Konyi, who noted that it is very rare that members of the SPLA are held accountable for acts of violence committed against the civilian population.

Fear of the SPLA

Displaced Murle women and children who fled following cattle raids by armed Lou Nuer youth in early July are slow to return to Pibor Town because they fear the SPLA, while most of the Murle men remain in the bush with the cattle, or preparing for a retaliatory attack, according to unconfirmed reports.

UNMISS says that between 1,500 and 2,000 civilians, all women and children, were registered to collect food aid from the WFP in Pibor Town. But most civilians immediately return to the bush after collecting food rations, instead of residing in Pibor Town. Before the clashes in early July, 4,900 people benefited from the food distribution.

The Commander of the SPLA in Pibor stated that the protection of civilians is a top priority, and that the incident of July 31st was an exception—one that he very much regretted. “The two soldiers will be brought to justice,” he assured visiting diplomats.

It remains unclear precisely what led to the incident on July 31st in which two women were killed and a child injured when SPLA soldiers opened fire on a group of six women near Pibor Town. The women are said to have been walking to town to register for rations of food aid.   

Photo: SPLA soldiers and UN peacekeeper in Pibor town, 6 August 2013