Government allied militia forces continue to commit brutal sexual violence in South Sudan’s northern Unity region, the United Nations said in a new report on Friday.
At least 134 women and girls, with some as young as eight, were raped between September and December last year, the report said.
The joint report, released by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said an additional 41 females suffered different forms of sexual as well as physical violence.
“The sexual violence was committed in a context of “pervasive impunity, which contributed to the normalization of violence against women and girls,” partly reads the report.
It, however, warned that although attacks against civilians have decreased significantly since last year’s peace accord was signed, endemic conflict-related sexual violence continues in northern Unity.
The actual level of sexual violence is likely to be considerably higher than the number of cases recorded, according to the UN report.
The surge in conflict-related sexual violence, it said, is due to factors such as breakdown in the rule of law, the destruction of livelihoods, forced displacement and food insecurity, after years of civil war.
Most of the attacks, the report observed, were carried out by youth militia groups and elements of the pro-Taban Deng Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO (TD)) as well as South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
In a few cases, it said, attacks were perpetrated by members of pro-Riek Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).
The report says almost 90 percent of the women and girls were raped by more than one perpetrator and often over several hours.
In one incident alone on 17 December, in the village of Lang in Koch county, five women were gang-raped, four of whom were pregnant, including one who was nearly nine months pregnant, it stressed.
UNIMSS, however, said upon receiving initial reports of the increase in sexual violence, it immediately engaged with political authorities and security services, and increased military patrols to Guit and Nhialdiu to provide a protective presence for civilians in the area.
The UN urged South Sudan to implement its stated commitment to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the Hybrid Court with the African Union as a meaningful step towards the establishment of this court, to promote accountability for serious human rights violations and abuses, including conflict-related sexual violence.
South Sudan government has not officially reacted to the UN report.