from EMMANUEL MANYANG in Juba, South Sudan
South Sudan Bureau
JUBA, (CAJ News) – AT least 442 people were killed during an uptick of violence in South Sudan in the second quarter of the year.
The findings by the United Nations Mission (UNMISS) indicates that peace remains elusive in the world’s newest country.
During the period, April to June, the UN mission documented 317 incidents affecting at least 1 062 civilians, including 160 women and 188 children.
Some 297 people were injured, 197 abducted and 126 subjected to sexual violence.
This represents a steep increase of 43 percent in the number of violent incidents as well as a 22 percent rise in the number of victims compared to the same period in 2023.
These numbers also indicate a 32 percent uptick in violent incidents and a 16 percent increase in the number of victims in comparison to the previous quarter (January – March 2024).
The number of abductions increased by 181 percent while a 168 percent rise in the number of victims of sexual violence was recorded compared to the previous year.
Inter/intra-communal violence by community-based militias and/or civil defense groups linked to border disputes, cross-border violence, cyclical and retaliatory attacks, as well as ethnic polarization remained the primary source of subnational violence
“The considerable increase in violent incidents, especially abductions and attacks against women, is alarming and must stop,” appealed Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of UNMISS.
He believes given the recent extension of the transitional period, it is vital that national, state and local authorities as well as communities and their leaders redouble efforts to resolve longstanding conflict drivers through dialogue.
Sudan plunged into ethnic conflict in 2013, two years after independence.
– CAJ News