About 900 Killed In South Sudan Tribal Violence, UN Reports
The United Nations says about 900 people have been killed in tribal in ethnic violence in South Sudan.
Its mission in war torn country, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a report Thursday that it had documented more than 400 incidents between April and June this year involving over 1,600 civilians.
Between January and March 2020, over 270 incidents were documented, involving over 1,700 civilians who were subjected to all forms of abuse including killing, injury, abduction, and sexual violence.
Over 650 were killed, and over 450 were injured, and about 590 were abducted and 65 were subjected to sexual violence in different parts of the country.
According to the report, the proportion of those killed rose by about 35 percent, although the overall number of victims decreased in early 2020.
UNMISS says government forces and organized armed groups were responsible for 11 percent of victims documented.
President Salva Kiir, in an attempt to tackle insecurity and stem retaliatory tribal attacks in a country fractured along ethnic lines, launched a disarmament program which has since backfired.
A confrontation between the army and tribal warriors during the exercise led to at least 127 deaths according to the country’s military.
The disarmament of civilians is part of a peace agreement signed between President Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in February after many months of negotiations.
Kiir and Machar agreed to form a government of national unity in which both hold key leadership positions.
So far, a partial unity government has been formed and state governors have been appointed but parliament has yet to be reconstituted.