A total of 468 civilians were killed in armed clashes between January and March in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in the country (UNMISS) announced today, which lamented the increase in "violent incidents".
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has been plagued by political-ethnic violence and instability, which have prevented it from recovering from the bloody civil war that left nearly 400,000 people dead and millions displaced between 2013 and 2018.
A peace agreement signed in 2018 provides for the principle of power sharing within the framework of a Government of national unity, formed in February 2020 with Salva Kiir as president and his rival Riek Machar as vice-president. But the agreement was largely not implemented, leaving the country unstable.
Between January and March 2024, "468 (civilians) were killed, 328 injured, 70 kidnapped and 47 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence," UNMISS said in a statement, indicating that these attacks involved community militias and civil defense groups .
According to the UN mission in South Sudan, the number of violent incidents increased by 24% compared to the same period last year.
According to the UN, the remote pastoral state of Warrap (northwest) is the most affected.
However, on a positive note, UNMISS noted that the number of abductions and sexual violence decreased by 30% and 25%, respectively, compared to the last quarter of 2023.
"It cannot be overemphasized the urgent need for collective action by national, state and local authorities, as well as community leaders and national politicians, to peacefully resolve long-standing grievances, particularly in the run-up to the first elections of South Sudan", urged the UN envoy for that country, Nicholas Haysom.
The elections, the first in the country's history, are due to take place on December 22, after having been postponed several times.
On July 9, in a statement marking the 13th anniversary of South Sudan's independence, the head of state made no reference to the elections.
