All Sides in South Sudan Conflict Abuse Human Rights - UN

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – South Sudan has been engaged in an armed ethnic conflict since 2013, when President Salva Kiir said that a military coup had been planned in the country, pointing the blame at rebel leader Riek Machar.

"Widespread human rights violations and abuses have been committed in South Sudan by all parties to the conflict since December 2013, including hundreds of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, forced recruitment and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, according to a UN report published today," the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said.

According to the report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and OHCHR, very few places in the country are safe as the conflicting parties intentionally attacked places of worship, hospitals and the UN bases.

"The report documents at least 280 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including gang-rape, sexual slavery and forced abortion. There has also been sharp increase in child recruitment, with at least 13,000 to 15,000 child soldiers, recruited mainly, but not solely, by opposition forces," the UN statement about the report said.

The report highlighted that even though humanitarian law was broken, there were no accountability mechanisms in place.

In August, Kiir signed a peace agreement with the opposition after the United Nations threatened to act if he failed to sign the deal. The South Sudan National Legislative Assembly and the Liberation Council of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition, led by Machar, endorsed the agreement on September 10.