Victims included civil servants, traders, soldiers, prison wardens, and police officers who were serving under the then-Khartoum regime.
The widows of the victims of the 1992 Juba Massacre appealed for compensation for the brutal killings of their husbands.
The chairperson of the 1992 Juba Massacre Widows and Orphans Association (JMWOA) Fidensia Ladu addressed the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the Juba Massacre on Tuesday, where she appealed for accountability over the incidents.
Ladu said the disappearance of their husbands from offices and homes in the 1992 Massacre still remains a mystery yet to be unearthed; no one has bothered to tell them the truth.
“We need to know about the 1992 massacre; what happened to our husbands and how did they die and government needs to answer our questions in order for us (widows) to tell our children,” Ladu said.
“This celebration is not for the families of victims alone but nationwide, because those people die for the country,” she added.
She said the government has never recognised the widows and children of those who disappeared in 1992.
“We need the government to declare a public holiday every year on this day so that we will remember our husbands who made sacrifices for this nation.”
Wani Steven who was the representative of the orphans said their fathers lost their lives as an ultimate price while fighting for this country and they should not be sidelined.
“Our fathers didn’t die because of the current situation of South Sudan that we are having now. Those who are in power we need to revisit the governing system,” Wani said.
“There are a lot of promises made by the former governors of the CES, one of the promises is that every year on June 6 will be a public holiday in order for the country to remember the 1992 incident, but all the promises are unsuccessful,” Wani said.
Wani said the country is coming toward the end of the transitional justice, and is only fair that fellow orphans get the justice they deserve.
The International Committee of the Red Cross Department of missing persons Sophie Marsac said, currently they have documented more than 6,000 missing people in South Sudan.
“We are searching for the 6000 missing persons, in 2000 and 2021 most of the families of the missing persons need to know about their missing relatives,” she said.
The official noted that the missing persons have never been included in the legislature of South Sudan.
“If someone wants to address the problems of the missing person, there is a need to be included in the laws.”
The event was attended by the Mayor of Juba City Michael Allah Jabu, members of the national and state parliament and some state senior officials.
It was marked to remember those who lost their lives in the 1992 Juba Massacre. The 300 intellectuals were arrested by former Sudanese president Omar el-Bashir in Juba for allegedly collaborating with the then SPLA/SPLM led by Dr. John Garang de Mabior.
The victims included civil servants, traders, soldiers, prison wardens, and police officers who were serving under the then-Khartoum regime.
Va. The City Review
