South Sudan: Army to try soldiers over civilian massacre

South Sudanese soldiers, including two officers, will face a court-martial over a civilian massacre last month, the army spokesman said on Wednesday.

The increasingly unstable country is witnessing a surge of fighting between government and opposition forces, much of it in eastern Jonglei state, where at least 280,000 people have been displaced since December, according to the United Nations.

At least 25 civilians, including women and children, were killed in Ayod County in Jonglei state on 21 February, according to the opposition.

Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang told AFP that two officers, including a major, and several non-commissioned officers had been arrested and would face charges in the capital, Juba, "before they are arraigned before a competent military court-martial".

He said the deaths were attributed to "some elements" under General Johnson Olony, who was filmed in January ordering troops to "spare no lives" in Jonglei.

Koang said the soldiers had "moved out without the knowledge or authorisation of the division commander".

He added that they had been part of a militia group allied to opposition forces, parts of which had not yet been fully integrated into the army.

Military integration was among the core principles of a peace agreement that ended South Sudan's five-year civil war in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Riek Machar, but it was never implemented.

Koang said the army regretted the loss of lives, adding: "We would like to once again remind our forces that their mandate is to protect civilians and their property, not to do the opposite."

The statement followed an impassioned plea from the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference on recent civilian killings — in Ayod, and also in Abiemnom County near the Sudan border, where at least 169 people were killed on Sunday.

"We implore you to deploy resources to protect vulnerable populations and foster a climate of dialogue and reconciliation instead of violence and revenge, consoling the bereaved and supporting the afflicted," it said in a statement.