Widespread anger in South Sudan over Canabi massacres

The capital of South Sudan, Juba, along with a number of cities in the Republic of South Sudan are witnessing angry protests by the citizens, targeting Sudanese shops in the areas of Tambura, Atla’barra, as well as other neighborhoods in the city center.

The protesters set fire to some shops and destroyed others, amidst reports of injuries among the Sudanese.

In a separate incident, Sudanese diplomat Yahya Mohammed Osman Hashim, who works at the Sudanese Embassy in Juba, was attacked by a group of South Sudanese citizens inside a hotel in the capital.

Meanwhile, the office of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, through press secretary Ms. Lily Adhieu Martin Manyiel, called for calm and invited the public to avoid any actions that would exacerbate the tension between the two countries, revealing the authorities’ intention to take urgent measures.

The presidential statement confirmed that Juba has taken diplomatic measures regarding the incidents of killing innocent South Sudanese citizens in Al-Jazeera state at the hands of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), by summoning the Sudanese Ambassador to Juba to address the crisis diplomatically in a manner that ensures the perpetrators are held accountable in accordance with International Law.

Local sources reported that these protests were due to the killing of South Sudanese citizens in the villages of (Canabi) in the Sudanese state of Al-Jazeera, after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) entered the area.

The accusations indicate that the Sudanese Army was involved in killings in the city of Wad Medani, the capital of Al-Jazeera state, which targeted South Sudanese citizens.

University students organized a protest to denounce the violations that targeted South Sudanese citizens in Al-Jazeera state.

For their part, South Sudanese activists launched a campaign on social media demanding the closure of the Sudanese Embassy in Juba, and called on the masses to demonstrate next Friday.

Human rights activists also called for an end to the escalation between the two parties in addition to taking legal measures against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).