Violence, Displacement Continue To Affect Civilians In South Sudan: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Violence and displacement continue to affect civilians in South Sudan as the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has received reports that an attack carried out by opposition forces captured Dolieb Hill, south of Malakal in Upper Nile State, a UN spokesman said here Monday.

     "The Mission received further reports that armed opposition elements continued to advance in the direction of the Upper Nile State capital, Malakal, before they were halted by Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) forces," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

     On Saturday, the UN Mission said that heavy shelling was heard from the direction of Dolieb Hill. SPLA sources informed the Mission that government troops had recaptured Dolieb Hill and had pushed opposition forces across to the south bank of the Sobat River.

     "Some 500 internally displaced persons have sought refuge at the Mission's compound north of Malakal on Saturday, bringing the number of persons being protected there to more than 18,000," Haq said. "Also over the weekend, in Unity State, the Mission reported sporadic gunfire in the vicinity of the Mission's compound in Bentiu."

     "The total number of displaced people currently protected at UNMISS facilities nationwide is now once again in excess of 100, 000," Haq said. "The increase in numbers is mainly attributed to a rise in the number of civilians seeking refuge at the protection site in Bentiu, which now stands at approximately 49,000 people."

     Also on Monday, the UN secretary-general's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, just concluded her first visit to South Sudan, Haq said.

     During her mission, she met with President Salva Kiir and held extensive consultations with relevant ministers, as well as the Army and Police. She also talked with Riek Machar, the former vice president of the world's youngest country and currently the opposition leader.

     She traveled to Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, to engage with the local commander of the SPLA, government authorities, United Nations staff, humanitarian workers and survivors of sexual violence.

     Banura and the South Sudanese government signed a joint communique that outlines clear steps they will take to prevent and address sexual violence crimes, Haq said.

     The situation on the ground has gotten worse. Following last December's escalation of violence, there has been an additional dimension of sexual violence attacks and reprisals on an alarming scale, said Bangura. There are also grave concerns of sexual violence perpetrated along ethnic lines with attacks fueling reprisals and a cycle of recrimination and revenge.

     Condemning these atrocities, she reminded all parties to the conflict, including government forces and opposition, that they " cannot declare war on their own people" and ultimately must held accountable for their crimes.

     The fighting in South Sudan broke out last December when clashes erupted between soldiers loyal to Kiir and others loyal to Machar. Kiir accused Machar of leading a coup against him, a charge Machar denied. 

     As the fighting intensified, Machar fled the capital, Juba, and began leading a rebellion against Kiir, calling on him to step down. The conflict soon took on an ethnic dimension between South Sudan's two largest groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. Kiir is a Dinka, while Machar is a Nuer.

Source:
Courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY