The South Sudanese government said it was ready to accept a joint investigation to establish which group was behind the murder of six aid workers.

The aid workers were from the national organisations identified as Grassroots Empowerment and Development Organisation (GREDO), which works to support children released from armed groups.

Unknown gunmen attacked the six workers last week Saturday. No group has claimed any responsibility for the horrendous act. There have been no reports of any clashes between the armed forces in the area prior to the incident. The area is widely believed to be under a full control of the government and allied armed youth from Jonglei state. The armed youth recently carried out an invading attack in Boma state.

Tut Kew Gatluak, the Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs said that the government was ready to accept any group interested in participating in the investigation process. Gatluak said the government had already been to the scene of the incident with members of the monitoring body, representatives from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and ceasefire monitoring body.

“What happened last week was an act of terrorism, which we condemned as the government. We call on our civil population to assist the government to get the perpetrators. We want to get to the bottom the incident and because of this interest, the government has now visited the scene of the incident with the groups and stakeholders interested in establishing the facts,” explained Tut Kew Gatluak.

The presidential aide declared that the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM), a ceasefire monitoring and verification body chaired by Major General Molla Haile Mariam, was free to conduct an independent investigation to establish the identity of the group and the motives for killing aid workers along Juba-Pibor road.

According to the 2015 agreement, CTSAMM is comprised of representatives from the two main warring parties, the Former Detainees (FDs), other Political Parties, the Women’s Bloc, Civil Society Organizations, the Youth, Eminent Personalities, IGAD, the African Union (AU), China, the Troika member countries comprising United States United Kingdom and Norway, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the European Union (EU) and the IGAD Partners Forum.

Festus Gontebanye Mogae, head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) said in a report, the JMEC is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement as a whole and is the parent body for other institutions.

These institutions include the National Constitution Amendment Committee (NCAC), the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission (JMCC), the Economic and Financial Management Authority (EFMA), the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and the Board of Special Reconstruction Fund (BSRF). JMEC in return reports to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the UN Security Council amongst others.

The European Union Delegation, the Heads of Mission of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, The United Kingdom, and the Heads of Mission of Canada, China, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the United States have issued a joint statement on Thursday. This was their reaction to the killing of the six aid workers, where they condemned the act and called on the government to probe the incident.

The Heads of foreign missions in the country called upon the government to thoroughly investigate the attack and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“The Heads of Mission strongly condemn and deplore the reprehensible killing of six aid workers along the Juba to Pibor road on Saturday, March 25, 2017. Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased,” reads the statement released to the public on Thursday.

The foreign diplomats stressed and reminded the government of its main constitutional responsibility to ensure security and safety of the citizens and residents of the country. They also called on all parties to ensure safe, secure, and unhindered access of aid workers to people in need in the country.

“To prevent future such incidents, the Heads of Mission call upon all armed actors to undertake a ceasefire in line with the Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, and to make genuine efforts to bring about peace, stability, and improved humanitarian access,” it adds.

Since the eruption of the conflict in 2013, at least 79 aid workers have lost their lives in the line of duty while delivering assistance to areas that need it most in the country.

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South Sudan Salva Kiir has issued an executive order removing the Ruweng state Governor, Theja Da Adwad Deng, a day after the latter shifted political allegiance from the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) under the country’s First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai.

Deng was succeeded by Them Machar Kuol.

The ex-governor was nominated by SPLM-IO faction led by Gai as a part of a power sharing deal stipulated in the peace 2015 accord, but remains unclear if his successor is a member of the South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) faction under the leadership of president Salva Kiir, which controls majority of the cabinet members in unity government, parliament, judiciary and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

The new governor had never officially declared his defection from President Kiir’s faction and joined the armed opposition faction under Taban, sparking question trying to understand political circumstances under which the appointment was made.

While circumstances under which the appointment was made remain speculative in the public, sources with direct knowledge of the new changes were made, said that the new governor decided to switch political allegiance from the government in order to ensure that a gubernatorial post is filled by a son from the area.

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The United States has issued a travel warning against visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo, after the bodies of two missing UN researchers and their translator were found lying in a shallow grave.

Michael Sharp, a 34-year-old from Kansas, and Zaida Catalan, 36, from Sweden, went missing on March 12, having set out to investigate mass graves in the Kasai province.

On Monday their bodies were found in a shallow grave, along with that of Bete Tshintela.

On Wednesday the state department updated its previous advice, and now recommends that all US citizens avoid unnecessary travel to the DRC.

Authorities in the country have vowed to investigate the murders, and Sweden has opened an investigation.

“Zaida Catalan worked tirelessly for peace and justice, and risked her own life to save others,” said Stefan Lofven, the Swedish prime minister. “Sweden is naturally ready to assist in this work.”

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, paid tribute to the pair.

“Michael and Zaida lost their lives seeking to understand the causes of conflict and insecurity in the DRC in order to help bring peace to the country and its people,” he said, adding:  “We will honour their memory by continuing to support the invaluable work of the Group of Experts and the whole UN family in the DRC.”

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, also praised Sharp’s professionalism.

“Michael was working on the front lines of what we try to do at the United Nations every day: find problems and fix them,” she said in a statement.  “He selflessly put himself in harm’s way to try to make a difference in the lives of the Congolese people.”

His father, John Sharp, said that an ‘unidentified militia group’ was responsible for his kidnapping when he first learned his son went missing. Mr Sharp said his son was dedicated to doing humanitarian work in eastern Congo even before he joined the United Nations.

Their disappearance marked the first time UN experts had been reported missing in Congo, and was the first recorded disappearance of international workers in the Kasai provinces.

The UN last week reported that more than two dozen mass graves have been discovered since January in three Kasai provinces. Five videos have emerged in recent weeks that appear to show Congolese soldiers firing on militia members.

While the violence is linked to local power struggles, there are also clear ties to Congo’s current political crisis, according to Human Rights Watch.

Anger has been growing in the country at long-delayed presidential elections, and dozens were killed in December amid protests as President Joseph Kabila stayed on past the end of his mandate.  A deal reached between the ruling party and opposition to hold elections by the end of this year, without Mr Kabila, remains fragile as the UN urges its implementation.

Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC is up for renewal next month – leading to concerns at the UN headquarters in New York that President Donald Trump’s plans to slash UN funding will see the mission drastically cut at a crucial time.

The DRC peacekeeping mission is the largest, longest running and most expensive of all 16 UN peacekeeping missions, with a $1.2 billion annual price tag.

Ms Haley is currently reviewing the value of all the missions, and is expected to deliver her verdict on the DRC operation – the first due for renewal – in April.

While some diplomats accept that a review of the mission is valid, they warn against a drastic reduction in size at such a tense moment.

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