South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin says that the government is carrying out investigations into killings of Nuer civilians committed in Juba during the events of mid Decemer last year.  

In remarks to the press today he disclosed “continuation of investigations into the crisis and hold people accountable for atrocities committed. The results and legal process shall be shared fully with the public.”

“You know, during the incidents a lot of innocent people were targeted, as we have seen a lot of our Nuer civilians here in Juba were killed by certain individuals, now this investigation committee will try to identify who are the criminals who have been doing this and they will be brought to book,” he explained.

According to Marial, the former Chief Justice John Wol is the head of the investigation team “to identify those cases where innocent individuals were targeted.”

“That’s why we have a lot of number of people now sitting in the UNMISS camps. We urge them that the situation is calm, it is time that they come back to go to their homes and they will make sure that both our police as well as the UN police will be able to protect them. But that has to be voluntary, it is up to them to decide,” he concluded.

Related coverage:

Witness to murder (4 Feb.)

Open letter: University of Juba Nuer students at risk (4 Feb.)

UN rights chief zeroes in on Gudele massacre (24 Jan.)

‘They just started shooting at us’ (20 Jan.)

Truckloads of bodies removed from Juba military hospital (18 Dec.)

HRW documents massacre of 200-300 Nuer men in government building in Juba (17 Jan.)

Truckloads of bodies removed from Juba military hospital (18 Dec.)