Geneva - Arab Today
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) deplored the recent outbreak of violence in several towns in southern Sudan, including Pajok in Eastern Equatoria and Wau in Western Bahr el-Ghazal, which have caused significant loss of civilian lives and displaced more than 22,000 people.
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani said that visits by the Human Rights Division of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to these sites have revealed reports of serious human rights violations, including indiscriminate and targeted killings of civilians and the looting and destruction of civilian property.
The widespread impunity in South Sudan for such horrendous attacks against civilians can only encourage further violence, she said, urging the authorities to ensure that those responsible for the violence in Pajok and Wau are held to account, regardless of their affiliations and rank.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), of the more than 7.5 million people in South Sudan in need of humanitarian assistance, more than 4.9 million of them face severe food insecurity due to displacement, conflict and economic decline.
Source: QNA