Eight people have been accused of rape, eight others accused of looting and one accused of injuring a victim during a July rampage that targeted Americans at a South Sudan hotel popular with foreigners, the government announced Wednesday.
It was the first word of accountability in the attack on the Terrain hotel compound. The Associated Press was the first to show details of the attack in which people were gang-raped, beaten, subjected to mock executions and forced to watch a local journalist be shot dead.
The announcement came a day after the United Nations made public its own investigation that found UN peacekeepers nearby did not respond to calls for help during the attack.
South Sudan’s deputy justice minister, Martison Oturomoi, told reporters that soldiers “exploited the war to do their own criminal acts” and said most of the accused were military members. He cited soldiers raping women and killing the journalist, John Gatluak, based on his ethnicity.
The government has not publicly shared the report of its investigation into the attack, which occurred shortly after fighting erupted in the capital, Juba, between rival groups in the security forces. The probe came after pressure from the United States.
Four of the six members of the investigative committee are from South Sudan’s military or security forces, raising concerns about impartiality. Oturomoi emphasised that the report by itself would not be enough to convict anyone.
The minister also said one woman was raped by 15 men during the attack but that it was “difficult for any person other than the victim to find the offender.”
The investigation recommended that the accusations be handled by a special court with military judges. Experts say South Sudanese law indicates that soldiers who commit crimes against civilians must be tried in a civilian court.
