Police in South Sudan reported on Monday that 16 Sudanese nationals were killed during riots last week, which were triggered by allegations of killings of South Sudanese individuals in Sudan’s El Gezira region.
The riots erupted in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and other parts of the country on Thursday and Friday. Protesters expressed anger over what they believed to be the involvement of Sudan’s military and allied groups in the El Gezira killings.
In response to the accusations, the Sudanese army condemned what it described as “individual violations” in El Gezira. Human rights organisations have accused the army and its allies of carrying out ethnically targeted attacks against civilians suspected of supporting the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
South Sudan’s national police issued a statement confirming the deaths, saying, “16 Sudanese foreign nationals were reported killed in four states.” The police assured that market areas and residential neighbourhoods would continue to be patrolled to protect Sudanese nationals.
To address the unrest, the South Sudanese government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Friday, which remains in effect.
In a separate statement, South Sudan’s military announced that 24 suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence. Charges will be filed after investigations are concluded.
