UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday said he was horrified by growing accounts of serious violations during the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, including gruesome killings of civilians, the destruction and poisoning of key water sources, and fresh waves of mass displacement.
A press statement extended to this publication said that over the past 17 days, over 160 civilians have been killed, including at least 139 on 1 March by fighters from the Bul Nuer ethnic group in Abiemnom locality in the Ruweng Administrative Area in the north of the country.
“On 21 February, 21 civilians were killed by government forces in Pankor village, Ayod County, Jonglei State in the east. The soldiers lured them into gathering at one place, promising to give them food aid, then opened fire on them. Fifteen women and three girls were among those killed,” the statement reads in part. “On the same day, soldiers reportedly tied up and beheaded four civilians – one elderly man, a woman, a boy, and a girl – in Thiam village of Wau Payam, Western Bahr al Ghazal State in the northwest.”
On 6 March, the military issued an evacuation order for all civilians in Akobo town and the surrounding villages in the east. It also directed the closure and withdrawal of the UN Mission in South Sudan’s temporary operating base in Akobo, in Jonglei State, as well as other UN agencies and NGOs. UNMISS responded, saying that its peacekeepers will remain in Akobo to provide a protective presence for civilians. Latest reports indicate that thousands of civilians have fled the town.
“Civilians are being brutally killed, injured, and displaced on a daily basis across South Sudan as hostilities escalate between the army and opposition forces,” said Türk. “Some of these acts may amount to war crimes.”
The statement says that the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have also reportedly destroyed or intentionally contaminated community water sources. Civilians who spoke to the UN Human Rights Office said approximately 99 wells were destroyed or poisoned with unidentified substances during government airstrikes.
“There must be prompt, impartial, thorough, and effective investigations into these and all other alleged violations of the laws of war and of international human rights law which are taking place,” Türk said. “And those found responsible must be fully held to account, including those bearing superior and command responsibility.”
More than 280,000 people have been displaced in South Sudan since late December – in Jonglei, Lakes, and Upper Nile States.
“The displacement of thousands of civilians from Akobo over the weekend and the chilling spectre of armed violence will only serve to compound the anxiety and suffering the civilian population has endured since hostilities resumed in January,” Türk stated. “There must be a ceasefire as promptly as possible, to save lives and turn this conflict in the direction of a negotiated solution.”
He called for intensified engagement by the international community with the parties to the conflict to bring an end to the surging violence. He also urged the parties to the conflict to desist from attacking civilians and civilian objects, and to ensure safe and sustained flow of humanitarian aid to all in need, consistent with their obligations under international law.
The UN Human Rights Chief renewed his call on parties to the conflict to urgently return to dialogue. “Both parties must take prompt and meaningful steps, with the support of the international community, to rescue the fledgling peace agreement. South Sudan must be pulled back from the brink of all-out civil war,” said Türk.