JUBA
(Reuters) - A South Sudanese army commander on trial for his role in an attack
on aid workers has been found dead in military custody, an army spokesman said
on
Friday.
The attack
by soldiers at the Terrain Hotel in the capital Juba was one of the worst on
aid workers since South Sudan plunged into civil war in 2013.
The rape of
five foreigners and murder of their local colleague occurred on July 11, 2016
as President Salva Kiir’s troops won a three-day battle in Juba over opposition
forces loyal to ex-Vice President Riek Machar.
Lt. Col.
Luka Akechak was found dead last weekend, army spokesman Santo Domic Chol told
Reuters on Friday. Chol said Akechak had fallen sick “some weeks ago” and
received medical treatment in Juba but did not recover. “The military custody
told us that the man was found dead in the morning.”
Akechak was
the unit commander at the hotel on the day of the attack and is one of more
than a dozen South Sudanese soldiers standing trial in a military court.
The army
spokesman said that in the last hearing, one of the rape survivors who
testified said she witnessed Akechak directing the soldiers to raid property at
the hotel.
The next
hearing in the trial is scheduled for Wednesday.
Lawyer
Philip Manyang, who is representing survivors of the attack in court, told
Reuters that survivors would be testifying by video conference in a closed
session.
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