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UN warns of atrocities in Unity State of South Sudan

Tuesday, 12 May 2015 4:21 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 12 May 2015 4:21 PM ]

Child soldiers in South Sudan sit with AK-47 rifles at a ceremony of the child soldiers disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in the town of Pibor, February 10, 2015. © AFP

The United Nations has warned against an escalation of violence, including rape and killings, in Unity State, north of South Sudan.

A spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed deep concern about the escalation of fighting in the oil-rich region.

Addressing reporters at a press briefing in Geneva, Rupert Colville said the office had received reports of killings, rape, abduction and looting of cattle and other property.

Colville said thousands of civilians have been fleeing their homes in the past weeks, seeking solace at the UN refugee camp in Bentiu. He added that witnesses cited the soldiers of Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and armed youth in civilian attires as the perpetrators of the atrocities.

“Attacks on civilian lives and infrastructure amount to clear violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law and must be investigated.”

According to information collected by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, numerous towns and villages in Guit and Koch counties have been reported as “burned” amid killings, abductions of males as young as 10 years of age, rape and abduction of girls and women, and the forced displacement of civilians.

The surge in violence has forced the UN and other aid agencies to withdraw their staff from the region.

This file photo shows a woman standing outside of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Leer, South Sudan. The international medical aid agency evacuated its staff from the town on May 9, 2015, as fighting escalated. © AFP

“Ongoing hostilities in Unity State have now obliged all non-governmental organizations and UN agencies to evacuate staff from Leer and other locations,” Toby Lanzer, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan, said in a statement released on Monday.

South Sudan plunged into chaos in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy and current rebel leader Riek Machar around the capital, Juba. The clashes have left tens of thousands of people dead and forced almost two million people from their homes.

Both army soldiers and rebel forces have been accused of widespread atrocities during the violence. The two sides have held several rounds of peace talks, but the negotiations have so far failed to produce a lasting truce deal between the conflicting sides.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 after its people overwhelmingly voted in a referendum for a split from Sudan.

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