Armed men kill South Sudan journalist, employer says
NAIROBI, Kenya — Armed men shot and killed a South Sudanese radio journalist during clashes in the country’s capital, Juba, a media organization said Wednesday, and those who knew him said he was targeted because of his ethnicity.
Jennifer Cobb, a spokeswoman for Internews, confirmed that John Gatluak was killed Monday at the compound of the upscale Terrain Hotel, where he had been taken for his safety after he was briefly arrested Friday night.
Internews is a U.S.-funded organization that assists radio stations in South Sudan.
The Rev. John Chuol, a representative of Gatluak’s family, said the 32-year-old journalist was targeted because he is a member of the Nuer tribe, the same ethnicity as opposition leader Riek Machar. Many supporters of President Salva Kiir are from the rival Dinka tribe.