The UN peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says violence against civilians in South Sudan rose by two percent in 2022, citing the latest annual report on Violence Affecting Civilians.
Overall levels of documented violent incidents rose by 27 percent, from 714 recorded acts of violence in 2021, to 982 last year.
The UNMISS report said 2022 was marked by three distinct surges of violence between April and May in southern Unity State; between July and September, in Warrap State; and between August and December, in the Greater Upper Nile region.
Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative and Head of UNMISS, called on the Government of South Sudan to demonstrate political will and step up efforts against impunity.
He said that government should also investigate human rights violations and abuses and hold perpetrators accountable, particularly as deadly violence remains an issue of grave concern in parts of the country.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan issued a hard-hitting report in February covering 2022, identifying widespread attacks against civilians, systematic sexual violence against women and girls, the ongoing presence of children in fighting forces, and State-sponsored extrajudicial killings.
Commission members told the Human Rights Council that South Sudan “can be different”, and that the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement, which ended a brutal civil war after the world’s youngest nation gained independence in 2011, remains the best framework to address the conflict.
“The challenge of advancing peace and human rights in South Sudan is very heavy, and international attention and support must not flag,” Commission member Barney Afako warned.
In announcing the report’s findings, UNMISS urged all South Sudanese parties to focus on the prospects for sustainable peace, security, and peaceful, fair, and inclusive elections.
At least 3,469 civilians reported having been affected by violence during 2022, including killings, injuries, abduction, and conflict-related sexual violence.
The brief reveals that while the number of violent incidents attributed to the parties to the conflict declined by 37 percent in comparison to 2021, the number of victims increased by 58 percent.
As for the violent incidents attributed to community-based militias and/or civil defense groups, the number fell by 27 percent and the number of victims decreased by 28 percent, compared with 2021.
UNMISS said that it was particularly concerned by a 96 percent spike in conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls.
