South Sudan says 17 accused in attack targeting Americans

Eight people have been accused of rape, eight others accused of looting and one accused of injuring a victim during a July rampage that targeted Americans at a South Sudan hotel popular with foreigners, the government announced Wednesday.

It was the first word of accountability in the attack on the Terrain hotel compound. The Associated Press was the first to reveal details of the attack in which people were gang-raped, beaten, subjected to mock executions and forced to watch a local journalist be shot dead.

The announcement came a day after the United Nations made public its own investigation that found UN peacekeepers nearby did not respond to calls for help during the attack.