People in South Sudan face abuses as the conflict increases in violence

Women waiting at a water collection point in a camp for displaced people in Bentiu Women waiting at a water collection point in a camp for displaced people in Bentiu Tyler Hicks

18 April 2017
The UN Human Rights Council warns that there is a concrete risk of ethnic cleansing in South Sudan.

Since the beginning of the conflict in South Sudan in 2013, the number of abuses on civilians seems endless. As reported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), due to the escalation of violence, more than 13,000 newly displaced persons have moved out of their cities looking for protection.

Many organizations and individuals, including the UN Human Rights Council, argue that the international community is now assisting an ethnic cleansing operation that currently affects  the whole population. As stated by several civilians, who escaped the country to reach safety in Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic or Uganda, South Sudan soldiers are perpetuating violence, particularly against women and children. The soldiers rape, torture and slaughter inhabitants. Many families have been killed and soldiers have been seen saving bullets by removing the used ones from the dead bodies.  “When the armed groups get you with your children, they kill you”, says a 31 year-old woman who fled the city of Yei.

Although a peace agreement was reached in 2015, the leaders, of the groups involved in the conflict did not succeed in reducing the violent acts against the people. Moreover, the country is already suffering from one of the most devastating famines in recent years, as the UN declared that about 5.5 million people in the country have not had  access to adequate food since July 2016. People are currently starving due to the violence  and the United Nations Deputy Special Representative in the Republic of South Sudan, Moustapha Soumaré, reaffirmed that peace can be found only through a political solution.

 

To read more, please visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/africa/east-africa/south-sudan
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/04/14/south-sudan-new-spate-ethnic-killings
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/south-sudan
http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2017/4/58edefb04/families-hit-conflict-south-sudan-find-safety-sudan.html
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56559&&Cr=haiti&&Cr1=#.WQ8C1IVOLmI
http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2016/12/08/south-sudan-%E2%80%9C-fighting-will-continue-our-children%E2%80%9D
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/ethnic-cleansing-south-sudan-161201042114805.html

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