Brigadier General Daniel Gatbel Kuach, President of the Military Mobile Court - Courtesy

A Military Mobile Court in Maridi County has sentenced eight SSPDF soldiers to various prison terms, stripped them of their ranks, and dismissed them from service for committing murder and rape.

Brigadier General Daniel Gatbel Kuach, President of the Military Mobile Court, has emphasized the court’s commitment to accountability within the South Sudanese military following recent proceedings in Maridi County.

He says the Military Mobile Court, which began its session on August 7th, has concluded 12 cases to date.

The Mobile Court president stated that these include four murder cases and two rape cases, with one additional rape case still pending as the accused remains at large.

Gen. Gatbel pointed out that minor cases heard involved charges such as loss of ammunition, intimidation, and robbery.

Gen. Gatbel noted, “The Military Court in Maridi County, launched on August 7th, finalized 12 cases, including four murder cases and two rape cases.”

“We still have one pending rape case as the accused is currently at large, while the remaining cases involve minor offences like loss of ammunition, intimidation, and robbery.”

According to Gen. Gatbel, the court has delivered significant sentences: those convicted of rape have received 14-year prison terms, and those found guilty of murder have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

In addition to these sentences, he says all convicted individuals will be stripped of their military ranks and dismissed from service.

The President of Mobile court stated that the court also mandated that the convicted soldiers pay compensation to the victim’s families, in line with South Sudanese customs.

He says the trials were conducted under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act of 2008 and the SSPDF Act of 2009.

He added that a panel of eight judges, including two from the prosecution, one from the defence, and two representing the victims, oversaw the proceedings.

The panel included female members in both the prosecution and the victim’s counsel teams.

The process was facilitated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), highlighting the international community’s support for upholding the rule of law in the region.

On a related note, in 2022, a military court in Bentiu, Unity State, held a hearing for three SSPDF soldiers accused of killing two police officers in Leer County.