"We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes, and must ensure that all those who order, incite or commit violence against civilians are held accountable, including through rapid creation of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan," Toner stated.
The statement cited a recent UN report on ethnic cleansing in multiple parts of South Sudan, with people driven from their homes through murder, starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages.
The statement noted a recent increase in such attacks in the nation’s Equatoria region, home of more than two dozen ethnic groups.
South Sudan was plunged into an ethnic-based war in 2013 after a conflict broke out between Dinka tribal forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and the sacked vice president Riek Machar of the rival Nuer tribe.
Aid agencies estimate more than four million people have been displaced and around 300,000 killed in the ensuing violence.
