Ten South Sudanese soldiers have been given prison sentences over a brutal assault on foreign aid workers in 2016. Rights groups say troops need to be held accountable for crimes committed during the country's civil war.
Advertisement
A South Sudanese military judge on Thursday jailed 10 soldiers over the gang-rape of five international aid workers and the murder of a journalist in a 2016 attack on a hotel in the capital, Juba.
Two of the accused were given life sentences for executing local reporter John Gatluak Nhial, as well as rape and other offenses. The remaining soldiers were handed terms ranging from seven to 14 years for rape, sexual harassment and looting. One soldier was acquitted for lack of evidence, while a commander accused of overseeing the rampage died in jail during the trial.
In July 2016, dozens of government soldiers stormed Juba's Terrain Hotel, where several staff from international NGOs were staying. The besieged workers begged UN peacekeepers stationed nearby to intervene, but were told forces in the region had no capacity to help. The attack came amid an escalation in fighting that followed the collapse of a peace deal between Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar.
The judge ordered South Sudan's government to pay the hotel more than $2 million (€1.7 million) in compensation, as well as $4,000 to each of the five rape victims. The family of the slain journalist was to receive 51 head of cattle.
Lawyer Issa Muzamil Sebit, who represented the rape victims, called the compensation "very embarrassing" and "an insult."
Human rights groups welcomed the verdict, but stressed that there were many more victims waiting for justice.
"The process was far from perfect, but shows that justice can be done where there is political will to do so," said Jehanne Henry of Human Rights Watch in Africa.
"After much foot dragging, today's convictions and sentences represent a first step towards ending chronic impunity in South Sudan, where both government forces and the armed opposition have committed human rights violations and crimes under international law," regional Amnesty International chief Seif Magango said.
In South Sudan, internally displaced persons are given sanctuary in UN Protection of Civilians (POC) sites. These refugees include unaccompanied children. Nonviolent Peaceforce is one organization trying to help them.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Displaced persons, missing parents
More than 30,000 people live in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Around 7,000 are children who have lost contact with their parents. The NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce is trying to reunite them.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Family tracing and reunification
The first step is to establish a child's identity and then to collect as much information as possible which could assist in locating the parents. This data is placed online and can be accessed by all international organizations working in child protection in South Sudan. If the search for the family proves fruitless, or if the child has been orphaned, foster parents are found.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
All-female peacekeepers
In South Sudan, Nonviolent Peaceforce focuses on the protection of women and children, who rarely participate in armed conflict, but are disproportionately affected by it. To this end, Nonviolent Peaceforce is forming all-female Women's Peacekeeping Teams, specially trained in tackling sexual and gender-based violence.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Women's Peacekeeping Teams
As well as training, the Women's Peacekeeping Teams are also given follow-up support as they seek to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. The teams liaise with women in the communities, helping them to identify risks and counter them. The teams are also in contact with authorities so that culprits can be held accountable for their actions.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Ulang in Upper Nile State
The civil war began as a political dispute, but it has reopened ethnic fault lines between the Dinka people of President Salva Kiir and the Nuer of rebel leader Riek Machar . Ulang in Upper Nile State is dominated by the Nuer. It was attacked by government in troops in May 2015 and dozens were killed. The once tranquil region found itself caught up in conflict.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Child protection projects in Ulang
Nonviolent Peaceforce runs a child protection project in Ulang, one of six in South Sudan. These projects vary in accordance with local needs. In Ulang, community volunteers ensure that the children have access to recreation and sports.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Soccer on a former battleground
At Ulang's Kopuot Primary School, children are playing a game of soccer as part of a child protection project. The building in the background is pockmarked with bullet holes, an ever-present reminder that the school was a target for government troops during their May offensive.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Back to school
All teaching materials and other supplies at the school were destroyed in the government offensive. But now, in makeshift classrooms, the struggle to acquire an education goes on. Author: Fellipe Abtreu
Image: DW / F. Abreu
8 images1 | 8
France's ambassador to South Sudan, Jean-Yves Roux, said he hoped the verdict would send a message that violence and impunity are not "business as usual, and that this trial opens the way for other trials."
Civil war erupted in South Sudan in 2013, soon after the country's formation, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting to oust him from power. Both government troops and rebel forces loyal to Marchar have been accused of committing atrocities during the conflict. Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting — including about 100 aid workers — and some 4 million have fled their homes.