The United States Embassy in Juba announced today that it was deeply disturbed by “credible reports of grave human rights abuses” following a government offensive in Unity State in the north-central part of South Sudan.

In a statement, the Embassy said that the reports of rights violations emerged “following a Government offensive against Opposition forces,” saying that the renewed fighting was in direct contravention of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in 2014.

The statement added, “We are deeply disturbed by credible reports of grave human rights abuses against civilians in the areas around Mayom and south of Bentiu. We call on the government to allow protection actors to inspect sites where violations are alleged to have occurred, to include Nhialdiu, Wathjak, and Nimni.”

Yesterday the UN Mission in South Sudan reported receiving credible reports of “atrocities” in Guit and Koch counties, including war crimes such as abductions, rapes, killings of civilians and burnign of villages.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Rupert Colvill, stated on Tuesday that SPLA and youth militia were responsible for these atrocities, according to witnesses. He said, "According to interviews with civilians who managed to flee, perpetrators of these atrocities are SPLA soldiers and armed youth. Mobilized youth are reportedly clad in civilian clothes wielding AK47s."

The US Embassy said, “Those who threaten the peace in South Sudan or violate international humanitarian law must be held accountable... We renew our call for the Government and Opposition to silence the guns and to end the suffering of the people of South Sudan immediately.”

Similarly, the Canadian Ambassador Nicholas Coghlan said he was "shocked at mounting evidence of [human rights] abuses as offensive continues in South Sudan with utter disregard for suffering civilians."

File photo: South Sudanese troops in Bentiu in January 2014 (courtesy photo/Radio Tamazuj)

Update: This page has been modified since its original publication to include the information provided by UN Rights Commissioner Rupert Colvill