A military court in Wau has sentenced a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldier to 10 years in prison for the abduction and murder of a United Nations staff member, the U.N. mission in South Sudan said on Friday.
Bol Rhoch Mayol Kuot, a South Sudanese national who worked as a language assistant for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), was abducted and killed on Dec. 15, 2025, while on official duty in Hai Masna, Western Bahr el Ghazal state.
The General Court Martial also ordered the soldier’s demotion and dismissal from the army and awarded the victim’s family compensation of 51 head of cattle. The ruling is subject to appeal, UNMISS said.
“This judgment is a milestone in efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against United Nations personnel in South Sudan,” said Anita Kiki Gbeho, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative and head of UNMISS.
Gbeho expressed sympathy to the victim’s family and thanked them for participating in the proceedings. She also acknowledged witnesses who testified and national authorities involved in pursuing the case.
Since UNMISS was established on July 9, 2011, 19 peacekeepers have been killed and 32 injured in what the mission described as malicious acts.
The court martial in Wau heard 10 cases and delivered judgments in eight, resulting in four convictions of SSPDF members and four acquittals, UNMISS said. Other cases remain under investigation or are being considered for trial.
and then