South Sudan judge finds 10 troops guilty of violent rampage

A military judge in South Sudan on Thursday found 10 soldiers guilty of rape and murder in a violent rampage two years ago.

Brigadier General Knight Briano found two guilty of involvement in the murder of a South Sudanese journalist and sentenced them to life in prison.

The judge found three other soldiers guilty of raping foreign aid workers, four guilty of sexual harassment and one guilty of theft and armed robbery.

They have been sentenced to between seven and 14 years in jail.

One of the 11 soldiers charges was acquitted for lack of evidence. A twelfth soldier charged died while in jail during the trial.

The judgment was delivered in a military courtroom filled with diplomats, aid workers and officials.

The charges stem from the attacks in the Terrain Hotel in Juba in 2016, when dozens of soldiers broke into the compound, killed a local journalist and gang-raped five international aid workers while U.N. peacekeepers nearby did not respond to pleas for help.

The soldiers found guilty were stripped of their uniforms before being transported by truck to prison.