South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has directed the national army SPLA to respect the international humanitarian law, a spokesperson for the SPLA army said.
Brig. Lul Ruai Koang, spokesman of the SPLA forces in Juba, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the SPLA Chief of General Staff Paul Malong Awan informed the army in a lecture that President Kiir said he will not tolerate any crimes of sexual violence.
“The SPLA Chief of General Staff has addressed the army, and he informed them that President Kiir directed all the forces not to commit any crime of sexual violence, because will be punished. The President had signed a joint communiqué in October 2014, so this is what the SPLA is implementing, “said Lul.
In May 2016, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura urged high-level authorities in South Sudan to implement commitments made to address sexual violence crimes.
Rights groups have accused the SPLA army of committing crimes of sexual violence against civilians during July clashes in the capital Juba.