Africa-Press – South-Sudan. By James Atem Kuir
At least 440 civilians were killed, 18 injured, and 74 abducted during months of inter-ethnic clashes in Western Equatoria’s Tambura County last year, UN has revealed.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Human Rights Office, in a joint report released yesterday, said warring groups committed grave human rights violations and abuses against civilians in the violence that engulfed Tambura County in 2021.
The rights watchdog also said that at least 64 victims were subjected to conflict-related sexual violence, including a 13-year-old girl who was gang-raped to death as fighting ensued between the Azande and Balanda militias.
The report said the tribal militias and their affiliate forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) were also responsible for looting, destruction of property, child conscription, attacks on protected personnel and facilities, and hate speech and incitement to violence among other human rights violations.
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the government to bring to book all individuals responsible for killings, rape and abductions committed to civilians during the violence between June and September last year.
“We call on all parties to the conflict to hold to account all individuals implicated in the horrific killings, rape, and abductions, among other grave human rights violations,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Women and children who were abducted must immediately be released and reunited with their families, and survivors provided with reparations.”
“Sustainable peace is only possible if gross violations of human rights that occurred during conflict are addressed through justice, truth, reconciliation, healing, compensation and reparations. The perpetrators of such brutal violence against the men, women, and children of South Sudan cannot be left to benefit from impunity. Accountability, it is critical to deter further violations,”Bachelet said.
“Allegations against these individuals must be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated; and perpetrators brought to justice and held accountably,” Bachelet added.
The violence that displaced about 800,000 people eased last year following the withdrawal of SPLA-IO troops and those of the SSPDF under General James Nando to Maridi Unified Training Center after repeated calls for the removal of the armies for allegedly partaking in the violence.
In November, the warring communities of Tambura signed a peace agreement to end the conflict and restore tranquility after several efforts to resolve the dispute failed as local people point fingers of blames on Juba-based area politicians.
In the peace document obtained by Juba Monitor last year, chief Paul Batista of Azande and Chief Kazimilo Banda ofBalanda together with Tambura County Commissioner, Matthew Eduard Mabenge, agreed to disarm and disband their tribal militias involved in the fighting and imposed severe penalties for violators of the peace pact.
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