South Sudan: Violence Reaches a Turning Point

After a week that saw a massacre inside a UN base and wide-scale ethnic-based slaughter in an oil-producing region, the international community is grappling with what, if any, options remain to save lives in South Sudan.

In a closed door meeting on Wednesday 23 April, the UN Security Council was shown a video from the city of Bentiu in South Sudan, where between last Tuesday and Wednesday, rebels executed hundreds of civilians in a mosque and the town's hospital.

In a terrible harkening to the Rwandan genocide, the UN reports that after capturing the town, rebels commandeered a local radio station and broadcast messages urging supporters to take revenge on Dinkas and Darfuris by raping women from those communities.

In a statement, the members of the Security Council "expressed horror and anger at the mass violence in Bentiu" and condemned the Friday attack on a UN camp in Bor, where at least 48 of the 5,000 mostly Nuer residents were killed by a heavily armed mob that opened fire after breaking into the compound.

"The members of the Security Council strongly reiterated their demand for an immediate end to all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, and expressed their readiness to consider appropriate measures against those responsible," the statement added.

Targeted sanctions

The measures will likely entail targeted sanctions against officials linked to atrocities like those in Bentiu and Bor. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch publicly called on the Council to "impose sanctions on individuals in both government and opposition who are responsible for grave abuses."

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama opened the door to travel bans and the freezing of assets of military and political leaders in South Sudan, but administration officials have yet to name individuals.

In many cases, the threat of US action is enough to scare commanders, but UN sanctions would go farther in South Sudan, says Philippe Bolopion, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

"US sanctions are a welcome development but a lot of the leaders involved in the current violence have bank accounts in neighbouring countries - US sanctions alone would not be enough," says Bolopion. "UN sanctions send a powerful message to the people on the ground that they will have to pay a price for their crimes."