UN report says violence against civilians reduced

The UN Mission in South Sudan human rights division report has revealed a 37 per cent reduction in overall violence against civilians in the country.

“In the third quarter of 2021, at least 801 civilians were directly affected by violence,” the report reads in part.

“This represents a decrease of 37 per cent as compared with the same period in 2020.”

The decline in violence has largely been attributed to an overall reduction in violence in Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

The report documented that the human rights division’s ability to comprehensively document the situation was constrained by access limitations as a result of which, there may have been under-reporting in the number of incidents and people that have been harmed.

According to the report, the vast majority of violence was geographically concentrated in 54 payams of the total 510payams in the country.

The findings are based on the documentation of information from more than 92 per cent of victims.

However, the report highlighted an alarming surge in harm inflicted on communities in Western Equatoria State.

“Violence involving militias allegedly affiliated with conventional parties to the conflict, primarily in the Tombura area of Western Equatoria, accounted for 44 per cent of victims.”

During the third quarter of 2021, violence against civilians was mainly concentrated in four key places, accounting for 82 per cent of all casualties documented across South Sudan.

Western Equatoria was the hardest hit (44 per cent of casualties), followed by Central Equatoria (18 per cent), Warrap (14 per cent), and Eastern Equatoria (10 per cent).

Violence involving conventional parties to the conflict and militia elements allegedly affiliated with these parties primarily affected Western and Central Equatoria.

The violence involving civil defence groups and or community-based militias primarily impacted Warrap and Eastern Equatoria.

The UNMISS report states that “these incidents involved militia elements from the Azande community, allegedly affiliated with SSPDF forces led by Maj. Gen James Nando on the one hand.

The report adds that the other incidents involved “militia elements from a community in Western Equatoria, allegedly affiliated to elements of the pro-Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO/RM) on the other hand, accounting for 44 per cent of all victims documented.”

These were closely followed by other civil defence groups and or community-based militias representing 37 per cent.

In just the third quarter of this year, these culprits killed at least 240 civilians and abducted at least 46 others. Some others (including six women and 14 children).

Civilian Related Sexual Violence was also common during the fighting in Tombura.

More victims

The Human Rights Division has so far documented at least 59 victims including men, women, and children.

Thousands of civilians were killed, starved, and displaced as a result of the violence, in addition to these forms of individual harm. According to humanitarian sources, the violence resulted in the displacement of an estimated 80,000 civilians.

The bulk of casualties (69 per cent or 551 people) were men, followed by women (17 per cent or 140 people) and 14 per cent of the victims were children.

UNMISS is concerned that women and girls have also been subjected to sexual violence in incidents of abduction.