BENTIU (25 Dec.) – The South Sudanese Red Cross has collected 34 bodies in Bentiu and another 82 bodies in the twin city Rabkona in South Sudan Unity State. They were left on the streets after parts of the army defected December 21. The bodies are buried at the cemetery in Rabkona, a witness of the burial told Radio Tamazuj. Also UNMISS in South Sudan denies the UN has found any mass graves. The reports from Bentiu contradict the remarks of the UN High Commissioner of the Human Rights on Tuesday suggesting, that a UN official found a mass grave of mainly Dinka’s in Bentiu as a consequence of mass extra-judicial killings, targeting individuals on the basis of their ethnicity. At least four local sources including a local Red Cross volunteer, an eyewitness of the burial and a trained reporter of Radio Tamazuj say the UN was not present.
Bentiu is since December 21 under the control of the defected Nuer general James Koang, opposed to the president Salva Kiir. Soon after he claimed control Dinka soldiers and civilians tried to escape fearing revenge of the killings of the Nuer in Juba last week. According to various local sources, the two graves the UN claims to have discovered are part of a collective burial authorized by the military authorities who have taken control over the town. A witness of the burial told Radio Tamazuj that the local authorities did not follow the Red Cross procedures to make a picture from the bodies before burying them.
The UN in Geneva announced today that a UN staff had seen two mass graves in Bentiu with a total of 75 bodies, something the UN in South Sudan denies. Asking for explanation, the spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told Radio Tamazuj: “The UN official that visited the location saw 14 bodies and apparently there were another 20 bodies at the riverside. In total there were 75 bodies found of SPLA soldiers who are all unaccounted for. We had unconfirmed information that some of the bodies may have been burned”. It is unclear who of UN was allowed by the military authorities to attend the burial or to reopen the graves. According to the UN in Geneva, the grave was found In Unity State capital Bentiu, being ‘dozens of bodies, reportedly of slain Dinka soldiers’. People closely witnessing the burial in Rabkona said there were at that time no UN staff present, unless it was a local staff member not being identified as working for the UN. The UN did not contact the South Sudanese Red Cross for any further information. To detailed information will endanger the lives of people involved.
The spokesman of South Sudan Red Cross, Maryal Mayom, said to Radio Tamazuj that his staff were not involved in the burial itsel self, which was carried out by volunteers. Maryal Mayom explains: “We can confirm – as everybody witnessed – that we collected dead bodies of civilians and soldiers from the streets. The relatives were not present to take the bodies for burial. Our staff brought them to the Mortuary of Bentiu Hospital. Since we were not involved in the burial, we did not take pictures of the bodies. If we would be involved our staff had to take pictures and fill in a 4 page form. That will make it easier for the relatives to identify someone later. But in these cases we handed the bodies over to the staff of the mortuary in the hospital. It is the responsibility of the authorities to handle the bodies if no one of the family comes over to claim”. Maryal Mayom said it is unknown to him what happened to the bodies and whether the mortuary was large enough to take in so many bodies in one day.
According to reporter and eyewitness Naiem Mubarak, the bodies collected by the Red Cross were buried by volunteers in Rabkona Cemetery. “All the relatives of these Dinka ‘s had fled the town or are hiding in the UNMISS compound, so they will not come to bury their relatives”. Naiem Mubarak, who is living in Bentiu and saw the burial taking place, told Radio Tamazuj: “I have not counted the bodies exactly, but there was a good number we have seen. The Red Cross started to collect the bodies. They were still laying on the street. Others were collected from inside the army barracks. They also have been brought to the cemetery located in Rabkona. This is not very strange in such a war situation”.
UNMISS denies report mass graves
In a press release last night UN Mission in South Sudan says it denies the report on mass graves. The UN is only in the position to confirm some casualties: “Latest reports suggest that this is an inflation of a skirmish resulting in about 15 fatalities, with details to be confirmed. UNMISS is therefore not in a position to verify the existence of such a mass grave in Unity State thus far. At the same time, UNMISS is deeply concerned over reports of extra-judicial killings in Juba and other locations in South Sudan and is investigating reports of such atrocities”.
Human Rights Commisioner
In a statement on Thursday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay expressed her grave concern: “Mass extra-judicial killings, the targeting of individuals on the basis of their ethnicity, and arbitrary detentions have been documented in recent days,” Pillay said. “We have discovered a mass grave in Bentiu, in Unity state, and there are reportedly at least two other mass graves in Juba.” In Juba the violence targeted many Nuer soldiers and civilians. The killings in Bentiu can be considered as an act of revenge.
Pillay also expressed serious concern about the safety of those who have been arrested and are being held in unknown locations in Juba, including several hundred civilians who were reportedly arrested during house-to-house searches and from various hotels in Juba. Hundreds of members of the South Sudan National Police Service were also reportedly ordered to be disarmed and arrested from police stations across Juba.
“There is a palpable fear among civilians of both Dinka and Nuer backgrounds that they will be killed on the basis of their ethnicity,” Pillay said. “There need to be clear statements and clear steps from all those in positions of political and military control that human rights violations will not be tolerated and those responsible will be brought to justice.”
Under international law, those in positions of political and military control can be held responsible for violations committed by those under their leadership, the High Commissioner said.
File Photo – Volunteers carry a dead body after an incident near Bentiu (Godfrey Bulla/Radio Tamazuj)