WUNRN
South Sudan: UNICEF Warns that Women & Children Are Being Victimized ‘with
Frightening Regularity’
Women and children have suffered devastating attacks in
South Sudan’s Unity State. Photo: UNICEF/South Sudan/Sebastian Rich
19 May 2015 – Almost two years since the eruption of the
conflict in South Sudan, the situation continues to deteriorate with women and
small children making up the majority of most recent casualties, a
representative from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country said today.
Speaking by phone from the capital, Juba, UNICEF
Representative Jonathan Veitch confirmed to journalists in Geneva that dozens
of children have been killed, raped and abducted in the Unity state over the
previous two weeks.
“The deliberate targeting of children in these attacks is
an outrage,” said Mr. Veitch in a press statement issued by
UNICEF.
“If children are to be protected from further harm, an
immediate cessation of hostilities is urgently needed, together with full
access for humanitarian workers,” he added, underscoring that an urgent and
thorough investigation is also required to identify and hold accountable those
responsible for these latest atrocities against children.
Fighting has been reported to be ongoing even today, and
it is unclear who was in charge of some areas. There were reports of women and
girls being taken away to be raped or killed.
He said that a 17-year old girl, who had managed to reach
a UN Mission (UNMISS)
base, said that when the attackers had come, they had taken and burned her
belongings. The attackers were boys, 16 or 17 years old, who proceeded to shoot
many people. The girl did not have enough food to feed her 8-month old twins.
This example shows how international law is being violated and the need for
unconditional access to all areas.
According to dozens of testimonies from people who have
fled burning villages, children have been both the victims and perpetrators of
recent violence in Unity state, with armed men and boys in military and
civilian clothing responsible for the widespread destruction of life and
property.
UNICEF said that witnesses reported that they believed
the attacks were undertaken by armed groups aligned with the Sudan People's
Liberation Army (SPLA).
Mr. Veitch said that if people reached the refugee camps,
children would at least be protected and taken care of, but outside of the
camps, it is very difficult to provide protection.
There is no clear answer for the brutality. Some fighters
explained that it was better to kill children now, before they grew up and
returned for revenge, he said. It is an unprecedented use of children in
conflict with almost 13,000 children registered to have been recruited by both
sides thus far, Mr. Veitch said.
UNICEF has been in contact with the SPLA and trying to
contact the opposition forces. There is a serious command and control issue at
stake. The UN’s monitoring mechanism has shown that 13,000 children have been
recruited over the past one and a half years.
Prior to that, South Sudan had been doing well in
releasing children from armed forces and armed groups. The majority of the
recruited children are likely in the opposition armed groups. It is becoming
increasingly complex to work in the refugee camps due to the tribal
differences, but services provided there are solid.
UN peacekeepers are providing a lot of protection, escort
and patrolling and they have been targeted on numerous occasions outside of the
camps. Mr. Veitch said that there was a strategic humanitarian response plan in
place but it is extremely difficult to raise money for many of the budgets with
many crises happening simultaneously around the world.
In some places in Jonglei State, people had returned
home, Mr. Veitch explained, but in other places, the numbers of the displaced
had gone up for security reasons and there were no indications that they would
subside any time soon.
The agency added that fighting has been escalating in
Unity and Upper Nile states in recent weeks, with violations against children
occurring with frightening regularity.
Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said today that in
Malakal, UNMISS reported military movements in the area of Melut, in Upper Nile
state. Three explosions were heard approximately 40 kilometres from the
Mission’s base.
Some 270 displaced persons have arrived at the Mission’s
protection site in Melut this morning, joining the thousand civilians already
there, and another 250 to 350 civilians are also sheltering at a newly
allocated protection area adjacent to the Mission’s base, said Mr. Haq.
“The Mission continues to be deeply concerned by the
overall escalation of the conflict, and once again calls on the Government and
Opposition leadership to immediately cease all hostilities and resume
negotiations, with a view to signing a comprehensive peace agreement,” he
added.
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SOUTH SUDAN – AMIDST ESCALATED FIGHTING & FLEEING CIVILIANS, PROGRESS TO IMPLEMENT WOMEN’S PEACE/SECURITY UN RESOLUTIONS
South
Sudan Crisis – UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Briefing
12 May 2015 - We are
deeply concerned about the escalation of fighting in the strategic, oil-rich
Unity State in South Sudan. Whenever fighting intensifies between Government
and opposition forces, the civilian population bears the brunt. Since 29 April,
at least 28 towns and villages have been attacked and burned, with reports of
killings, rape, abduction and looting of cattle and other property.
Thousands of civilians
have fled the attacks – with at least 2,200 new arrivals seeking refuge at the
UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)’s Protection of Civilians site in Bentiu as
of 10 May, while others have fled or are in bushes between villages south of
Nhialdiu and Koch, and Leer. Of 2,200 new arrivals, 26 percent are children
under five and 65 percent are women and girls.
According
to interviews with civilians who managed to flee, perpetrators of these
atrocities are SPLA soldiers and armed youth. Mobilized youth are reportedly
clad in civilian clothes wielding AK47s.
There are also alarming
reports of attacks,, including abductions and sexual violence, by armed
elements around the Protection of Civilians site.
Ahead of the rainy
season, when people are planting crops, we urge absolute restraint by the
parties to the conflict. Attacks on civilian lives and infrastructure amount to
clear violations of international humanitarian law and international human
rights law and must be investigated.
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