South Sudan
At least 232 civilians were killed and 120 women and girls raped in attacks by South Sudan government troops and aligned forces in opposition-held villages, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday.
A United Nations investigation identified three commanders suspected of bearing the “greatest responsibility” in the violence in Unity State between April 16 and May 24 that may amount to war crimes, it said in a statement.
“The perpetrators …must not be allowed to get away with it,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein.
“There must be consequences for the men who reportedly gang-raped a six-year-old child, who slit the throats of elderly villagers, who hanged women for resisting looting, and shot fleeing civilians in the swamps where they hid.
“Those who ordered and facilitated these horrific crimes must be brought to account.
“The government of South Sudan and the international community have the obligation to ensure justice,” he stressed.
01:34
World: At least 315,000 grave violations against children in 18 years of conflict
00:53
Sudan: Army chief Burhan filmed with troops
00:47
Sudan: Patchy truce extended for five days
01:30
Fighting in Sudan leaves banking sector in limbo
01:16
Sudan: Fears of communal conflict persist as ceasefire begins
Go to video
The UN warns of the risk of famine in the northeast of Nigeria