South Sudan: HRW - Crises in South Sudan, CAR, Provoke Abuses

Johannesburg — Crises in South Sudan and the Central African Republic led to some of the worst human rights abuses in Africa last year, says New York-based Human Rights Watch in its annual report. The report, released Tuesday in Johannesburg, also found that gays and lesbians are under severe threat in several countries.

Violence and gross human rights abuses in South Sudan and the Central African Republic top what human rights advocates say has been a "worrying" year for human rights in Africa.

A rebel coalition took control of the capital of the Central African Republic in March, forcing out the president. That coup opened the door for rebels -- among them, forcefully recruited child soldiers - to commit widespread rights abuses and indiscriminate killing of civilians.

South Sudan also saw bloodshed and rights abuses in its second full year of independence. In December, violence erupted when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup, a charge Machar has denied. Since then, the conflict has spiraled into a mix of military clashes and ethnic violence that has displaced an estimated half-million people.

A senior U.N. human rights official said Monday that "thousands" of people have been killed in the violence and some of the rights violations may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Tiseke Kasambala, Southern Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, called on forces in South Sudan to bring the conflict under control.

"We are calling on commanders to take necessary measures in the South Sudan to ensure their forces act in accordance with humanitarian law and take appropriate and prompt disciplinary action against those members who commit violations," said Kasambala.

Kasambala also cited impunity as a problem on the continent, condemning the African Union for trying to protect Kenya's president from prosecution at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in orchestrating violence after Kenya's 2007 presidential election.

And across the continent, rights advocates said, things seemed to be getting worse for gays, lesbians and transgendered citizens.