Western powers decry South Sudan’s Upper Nile violence

JUBA – The United States, United Kingdom, Norway and the European Union expressed horror at the escalation of violence in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state and urged delivery of humanitarian aid, according to a joint statement issued on Friday.

Reports of killings, property destruction and sexual violence “are horrifying and cannot go unaddressed,” the joint statement, issued through the U.S. State Department, said.

“We call on all South Sudanese authorities to allow and facilitate the safe access and delivery of humanitarian assistance to Upper Nile and Jonglei State, as well as in other conflict areas in the country and to the more than 9.4 million people in need of aid across South Sudan,” the statement added.

More than 160 civilians have been killed and 20,000 displaced in violence in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state since August amid an escalation in clashes between armed groups, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.