Killer of Juba vendor not yet identified, Juba commissioner orders probe

JUBA – The commissioner of Central Equatoria state’s Juba County Charles Joseph Wani on Monday said that the killer of as vendor in Juba has not yet been identified, but said he has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter.

A police officer on Saturday opened fire at a number of street vendors protesting a roadside trading ban leaving one person dead and three others injured.

Speaking to Sudans Post this afternoon, Commissioner Wani said he has directed the police to investigate the violent incident between vendors and police.

“This is the work of the government and we need to find these people who have done this and even from the other side of the vendors, if we find any person who was heading that team, he will be brought to book,” Wani said in an interview on Monday.

Wani said it is only through an investigation that the perpetrator behind the killing of a vendor could be found.

“We can’t identify the person who killed the vendor because the soldiers were very many and those who resisted were coming, very many carrying machetes and doing a lot of things,” Wani said.

“We never know maybe this person was in self-defense until things went out of his hands with fear but we as the government we are making the necessary investigation.”

The commissioner said the County authorities regretted the action of police officers on duty.

“During execution that is when things went out of hand but basically, right now, the market is open and everything has returned to normal. Yesterday the situation was calm,” he said.

He paid condolences to the families of the victims

“We pass our condolences to the immediate family who lost their member. He or she is a South Sudanese and we are sorry for the loss of the life.”