Two relatives of Slain Syrian nationals testify in trial of suspected killer
Two relatives of the three Syrian nationals who were shot dead last month in Akon village of Warrap State by a South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) officer on Friday gave their testimonies in the General Court Martial in Juba.
Abdullah Raham Azfi, representative of three Syrians narrated to the court how the suspected killer Private Yak Garang Yak abducted the trio and ordered them to lie down before shooting them indiscriminately on January 7th.
“He (Garang) ordered them out of a car at gun point and ordered them to lie down and he took their phones and car keys and shot three of them in the head,” Raham said.
He was testifying before a five-member General Court Martial chaired by Maj. Gen. Majok Michael Chan and his deputy Brig. Gen. Alex Makelele Nyijok.
Informant, First Lt. Malong Lual Bol, General Administration and Finance at Tiger Headquarters, said when he heard about the killing of Syrians, he reported the case to the national security services.
“My brother’s wife told me that Yak Garang came in the morning looking for me and that he has killed Syrian nationals, I reported to the office of national security,” Malong narrated to court.
SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen Lul Ruai Koang told reporters after the court session that prosecution team presented death certificates, Form 8 and other evidence before the court.
Koang said the court adjourned the trial till 22nd February after the prosecution team requested one week to bring eye witnesses.
“We are expecting three more eye witness to be brought in from Akon plus the fourth eye witness that went to Syria,” he said.
“One of the reasons why the court was adjourned for the fifth time is for the three witnesses from Akon and one from Syria to be flown in,” Koang disclosed.
The three eye witnesses from Akon village will be flown to Juba by the leadership of SSPDF.
“We were able to recover or retrieve the personal rifle that was used in the commissioning of the crime, but it is yet to be shown before General Court Martial, it will be produced during the fifth session,” Koang said.
During the third court session last week, Private Yak Garang Yak confessed to killing the three Syrians and a 15-year-old South Sudanese witness.
Garang told the court that he was angered over the lack of medical insurance, low feeding allowance and also operation allowance.
Garang who worked as a driver and security officer for the construction company the three slain Syrians worked for.
The company was hired to construct President Salva Kiir’s house in his home village of Akon, was entitled to operation/field allowance of 30,000 South Sudanese Pounds.
Prior to shooting dead his victims, the suspect had complained to his Syrian boss demanding his operational allowance be adjusted.
