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WAU - 19 Mar 2013

Incitement, murder trials continue in Western Bahr El-Ghazal

Court hearings continue in Wau, Western Bahr El-Ghazal state, to try 33 people accused of being behind violence in Wau in December last year.

The varying charges include: incitement of violence against the government, interference in the work of the state authorities, misuse of public property, as well as misleading the authorities and citizens of Wau.

Sources from Wau reported to Radio Tamazuj that trials started on 28 February and that there are 33 defendants, including 4 policemen.

Some sources further claimed that the former Wau County Commissioner, John Peter Miskin, was at the forefront of the defendants, facing 10 charges. Sixteen (16) defendents have also been charged with killing 6 people, among them Angelo Marchello, a member of the state parliament for the Baggari constituency and the Chief of Farrajallah as well as the youth representative of Baggari payam, Anthony Sokondo.

The court reportedly dropped charges against one suspect, Gabriel Sasa, who was among the brought the original number of defendants facing murder charges to 17.

The sources also pointed to charges against the police officers, alleging that they instigated and participated in the insecurity, where trials were reported to be underway until today.

The clashes last December resulted in at least 14 deaths within Wau and the injury of dozens more following protests over the decision to move county headquarters to Baggari payam.

Related:

Wau trials begin for ex-commissioner, youths (28 February 2013)

SPLA arrests two in probe of Wau killings (24 December 2012)