The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Friday said that clashes between splinter opposition factions in late 2022, left about 594 civilians killed and 290 injured in Upper Nile state located north of South Sudan.
The latest joint report released by UNMISS and the UN Human Rights Office in Juba, said that the killings happened between August and December 2022, during fighting between armed groups which split from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO).
The report documents gross human rights violations and abuses committed by the Kitgwang faction led by former SPLA-IO chief of staff Simon Gatwech Dual and Johnson Olony of the splinter faction of Agwelek forces backed by their respective allied militias.
The two groups split from SPLA-IO led by First Vice President Riek Machar in August 2021 after accusing the latter of weak leadership and nepotism.
The report says the serious violations committed by the warring parties included attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, indiscriminate attacks, abductions, sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, and the recruitment and use of children in hostilities.
“The violations and abuses documented in this report are egregious. Accountability and justice are crucial, particularly for gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to atrocity crimes,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Volker called on the government to take immediate steps to ensure all those responsible are brought to justice, adding that impunity will only perpetuate the precarious human rights situation in the country.
The report follows 165 investigative missions conducted by UNMISS and the UN Human Rights Office, that have also led to the identification of at least 22 individuals who may bear the greatest responsibility for these violations and abuses.
UNMISS and the UN Human Rights Office documented at least 884 civilian casualties of which 594 had been killed and 290 injured.
In addition, 258 were abducted and 75 women and girls subjected to sexual violence.
The report notes that the conflict has engendered a humanitarian crisis that has displaced over 62,000 civilians and led to significant destruction of civilian property.
“These findings are deeply troubling and underscore the urgent need for all parties involved to prioritize the protection of civilians,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral (SRSG) and Head of UNMISS.
Haysom added that the recent deployment of the necessary unified forces to Malakal, Upper Nile State, gives confidence that the government is taking steps to mitigate the reoccurrence of violence and to protect civilians.
UNMISS and the UN Human Rights Office have called on the government to intensify efforts to stop the mobilization of armed elements in South Sudan.
They have also appealed to international partners to support humanitarian organizations in providing legal, medical, and psychosocial assistance to the survivors of these violations and abuses.
