UN Report tells of SSPDF’s butchery of civilians in Lasu and Morobo

One grieving mother of one of the victims noted that “they killed him just to show the population what would happen if you support NAS”

A recent report released by the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan addressed to the President of UN Security Council, has corroborated allegations that Kiir’s regime is orchestrating and executing military operations targeting civilians in Central and Western Equatoria.

These crimes, planned and executed at the highest levels of Kiir’s regime, are tantamount to crimes against humanity.

According to evidence documented in the report, in December 2019 after forces of the National Salvation Front (NAS) overran a barracks in Lasu, Central Equatoria, the SSPDF retook the base and “committed serious human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in Lasu and surrounding areas” with civilians as the victims of these crimes.

“…they [SSPDF] retaliated against the population by targeting civilians, committing acts of sexual and gender-based violence and looting and burning property, including churches…

“SSPDF sexually assaulted and raped women, including at least one pregnant woman; targeted, detained and executed youth, including children whom the soldiers had found outside of the controlled areas, alleging that the youth were NAS fighters…

The ruthless concerted offensives of slaughter, rape and destructed that started late 2019 and is still ongoing, are commanded by none other than Chief of General Staff First Lieutenant General Gabriel Jok Riak Makol.

On 16 and 17 December 2019, Gen.Gabriel Jok Riak Makol travelled by helicopter to Yei to directly command the SSPDF operations. General Malong Agot who commanded SSPDF in the Yei area until January 2020, and Ground Force Commander, Lieutenant General Santino Deng Wol were also mentioned as commanders of these atrocities.

But the carnage did not stop in Lasu. In January 2020 “SSPDF arbitrarily executed three civilians in daylight on their land while harvesting their produce or in the bush as they were returning home.”

One grieving mother of one of the victims noted that “they killed him just to show the population what would happen if you support NAS”

To date, re-enforcements are still being sent to those parts of South Sudan with clear orders to subjugate the local population, rape women, kill the youth and loot or destroy property.

Several recent NAS press releases have tried to call on the international community to investigate these crimes. It is not clear whether the SPLA-IO under Dr Machar has also been recruited to take part in this plan, but they have also started targeting and killing civilians in the same fashion.