UN: South Sudan gov't commits 'war crimes' against citizens

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The United Nations has accused on Friday members in the South Sudan government of committing human rights violations that amount to war crimes in the country's southwest, calling for investigations against dozens of members.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, issued a recent report on Friday, noting "great rights violations ranging from mass rapes and sexual slavery of women to the deliberate killing of scores of children."

Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka told the UN Human Rights Council that the commission has "drawn up a list of 142 individuals who warrant investigation for a range of crimes under national and international law."

"These localized killings, massacres, torture, abductions, detentions, looting, burning of villages and forced displacement… are a reflection of the intense political contestation for power... at a national level," she added.

Read more: Amnesty: Violence in South Sudan could amount to 'war crimes'

 

In the same context, a joint report by the UN Mission in South Sudan and the UN Human Rights Office that was published earlier this month said that at least 440 civilians were brutally killed in a fight between rival militias.

The report blamed the forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his rival troops led by Riek Machar as well as "their respective affiliated militias" for the violence.

Salva and his rival's bloody conflicts

Between 2013 and 2018, a bloody civil war erupted between President Salva and his rival Riek Machar and resulted in the death of 400 thousand people, while leading millions to be displaced.

According to the 2018 Peace Agreement, a unity government was formed in February 2020, with Kiir as a president and Machar as a vice-president. However, most of the articles of the agreement remained unapplied due to the conflicts between the rivals.