A South African ex-colonel William Endley to be executed by hanging after South Sudan court sentenced him to death for war crimes and after he was convicted of conspiracy and attempting to overthrow the government, Mail&Guardian reported.
William Endley was arrested in August 2016 and first appeared in court on February 13, the former military served as an advisor to ex-vice-president Riek Machar, whose forces have been fighting a civil war since 2013 and who turned a rebel leader.
Endley’s lawyerGarditAbel Gar insisted while defending the client he was only performing his duties as a security contractor to help Machar’s forces integrate into the South Sudanese Army prior to being arrested. Another Machar’s associate James Gatdet Dak has also been sentenced to death for incitement and conspiracy against Kiir’s government.
UN report: South Sudan military officers accused of war crimes
The investigators, from the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, say their findings are based on interviews with hundreds of witnesses, satellite imagery and nearly 60,000 documents dating back to the outbreak of the war.
The UNCHR report, released on Friday, makes the case for “individual command responsibility for widespread or systematic attacks on civilians” by senior military officers, including eight lieutenant generals, and by three state governors.
A spokesman for the government said it was willing to hold people to account for any crimes.
“The government will prosecute anyone responsible for any crimes. This is a responsible government,”
Mawien Makol, of the foreign affairs ministry, told the press on Friday.
