Fire destroys Al Jazeera’s South Sudan office

The Al Jazeera office, located at the British-owned Sahara Resort Hotel, caught fire, destroying the office and journalistic equipment worth US$ 500,000.

Al Jazeera received this critical footage about security forces firing a volley of bullets on demonstrators in Wau on December 9, 2012.Peter Louis, a camera man for the Qatar-based privately owned channel, said he had alerted hotel management after he saw people walking near the office carrying cans of petrol.

The hotel management hinted at an arson attack, saying his staff saw people loitering behind the hotel near the broadcaster’s office.

Faud Michael Saddi, who runs the hotel, said he heard a noise like a bomb explosion at four in the morning. Then, I immediately started to make alarm to inform my guests who were sleeping in other rooms,” he said.

The generator also caught fire, causing total damage of around US$ 5 million.

Also read: Media come under fire in South SudanSecurity forces have not detained anyone in relation to the fire and investigations are underway.

James Joseph Abraham, a fire safety protection officer for Central Equatoria State said a large petrol can was found in an unoccupied room of the hotel.