South Sudan Aid Doctor Killed ‘in Cold Blood’ Amid Rising Attacks

A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
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South Sudan Aid Doctor Killed ‘in Cold Blood’ Amid Rising Attacks

A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
A file photo shows South Sudanese policemen and soldiers are seen along a street following renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba, July 10, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)

A South Sudanese doctor was murdered in the northern, oil-rich Unity state, and colleagues threatened Sunday to go on strike if those responsible are not found.

The murder, which took place Friday, follows the killing of a nurse in April in Eastern Equatoria, a south-eastern state.

On Sunday, a statement released by The South Sudan Doctors’ Union (SSDU), said it was “deeply saddened on the killing of our member, Dr. Louis Edward Saleh in Ganyiel village in Unity State.”

South Sudan is one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarians, with nine aid workers killed there last year, according to the UN.

In January, an aid worker with Joint Aid Management (JAM) was shot dead near Bentiu, which is also in Unity state.

The SSDU said Saleh was working at a clinic sponsored by the International Rescue Committee charity, and was “was killed in cold blood within the facility.”

The IRC did not immediately respond to the report but the regional health ministry said an investigation had been launched.

The SSDU expressed alarm at a series of alleged threats, beatings, arrests, detentions, tortures and killings in several states in recent months.

In mid-May, a humanitarian worker died when an aid convoy came under fire in the west of the country, according to the UN.

The SSDU threatened a strike if investigations are not carried out and those responsible for killing Saleh and the nurse are not found and prosecuted.

South Sudan is struggling to emerge from a six-year civil war that claimed some 380,000 lives and officially ended with the creation of a government of national unity in February last year.



Denmark Says It Will Summon a US Diplomat Over Report on Increased US Intel Gathering in Greenland 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
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Denmark Says It Will Summon a US Diplomat Over Report on Increased US Intel Gathering in Greenland 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)

Denmark says it will summon the top US diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report about the United States stepping up intelligence gathering on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by President Donald Trump.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR outside a meeting Wednesday with colleagues in Poland that Denmark would summon the US chargé d’affaires to seek a “rebuttal” or other explanation following the report.

The Journal, citing two people familiar with the US effort that it did not identify, reported that several high-ranking officials under the US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and sentiment about US resource extraction there.

The US Embassy did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press on Thursday seeking comment on whether the US diplomat in Copenhagen, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, had received a summons. The Danish Foreign Ministry, in an email, did not comment beyond referring to Rasmussen’s remarks.

Rasmussen, who has previously scolded the Trump administration over its criticism of NATO ally Denmark and Greenland, said the information in the report was “very worrying” and “we don’t spy between friends.”

“We are looking at this with quite a lot of seriousness,” he added.

Greenland's prime minister said last month that US statements about the mineral-rich Arctic island have been disrespectful and it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

In a visit to the island last month, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, addressing the United States during a visit to Greenland that “you cannot annex another country,” even with the argument made by US officials that international security is at stake.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington will respect Greenland’s self-determination and alleged that Greenlanders “don’t want to be a part of Denmark.”