UNMISS records surge in violence

There has been a surge in violence against civilians since March, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said in the latest quarterly Human Rights Brief.

The mission says it has documented 920 incidents of violence against civilians, including 243 children; 405 civilians were killed, 235 injured, 266 abducted, and 14 were subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.

The brief attributes the violence to community-based militias, which accounts for more than 92 per cent (847) of all civilian victims.

“I condemn these incidents which occur without any due process” says Nicholas Haysom, UNMISS chief. “The Government has previously denounced this practice and, following our engagements, the Minister of Justice has agreed to investigate these allegations.”

It states that the violent incidents were recorded mostly in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), Warrap, Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, and Lakes states, in that order.

Of the the 405 deaths, UNMISS says 22 were cases of extra-judicial executions between January and May 2023.

“Of these, 14 persons (including one female) were executed in Warrap State and eight in Lakes State. These executions were allegedly committed by South Sudan security apparatus personnel,” it reads.

It called upon the government to immediately investigate the cases of extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations.