UN sounds alarm over South Sudan ethnic strife

A United Nations agency has warned about rising tensions between South Sudan’s Dinka and Equatoria communities.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, said in a statement the tensions could explode into mass atrocities if leaders from both sides failed to immediately defuse them.

Mr Hussein identified ethnic rhetoric, hate speech and outright incitement to violence by the two groups.

He said several leaflets with graphic hate messages were last week found at the gates of humanitarian organisations in Awiel West, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State.

Northern Bahr el-Ghazal is the home of South Sudan Army Chief of General Staff Paul Malong.

BE ELIMINATED

Mr Hussein said the leaflets, purportedly authored by individuals from the Dinka community, warned Equatorians to leave Bahr el-Ghazal or be eliminated.

“Retaliation attack must begin right now! One Nation, One People slogan is dead. The consequences will be graphically and horrifically huge,” read one leaflet dated October 14.

The UN official said the threats were in reaction to the killing of an unconfirmed number of Dinka civilians travelling to Juba by bus early this month.

President Salva Kiir recently said the leaders from Equatoria should take the responsibility and stop the ambushes along the highways in Central and Eastern Equatoria.

President Kiir claimed that the regional leaders have the capacity to address insecurity concerns.