UN report documents decrease in civilian casualties in South Sudan

JUBA – A new report from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) registered a 60 per cent decrease in violent incidents against civilians and a 23 per cent decrease in civilian victims in the third quarter of 2022, compared with the same period last year.

The decrease is generally attributable to the decline in civilian casualties in the Greater Equatoria Region.

Between July and September 2022, the UNMISS Human Rights Division Brief on Violence Affecting Civilians recorded at least 745 civilians subjected to killing, injury, abduction, and conflict-related sexual violence. By comparison, there were 922 civilian victims in the second quarter of 2022; and 969 in the same period of 2021.

Upper Nile and Warrap States were most affected by the violence, accounting for more than half of victims recorded during the reporting period. Conventional parties to the conflict were responsible for a majority of the civilian casualties in the reporting period.

Across South Sudan, UN peacekeepers continue to safeguard communities by creating zones of protection in identified conflict hotspots. Recently, UNMISS deployed peacekeepers to Twic county, in Warrap State, to engage authorities, youth and women leaders in order to quell hostilities along the boundary with the Abyei Administrative Area.

The Mission continues to support ongoing peace processes across the country by engaging in responsive and preventive political and community consultations at the local, state and national level.

“We are encouraged by the decrease in violence affecting civilians this quarter and hope to see a continued downward trend,” stated Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan. “However, we do note that gross violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law remain a widespread concern across South Sudan,” he added.

The Mission reiterates its call to the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to fulfil all of its obligations, including upholding the human rights of all South Sudanese.

UNMISS further encourages the Government and parties to implement the Roadmap so that the people of South Sudan can fully benefit from the dividends of peace.