HRW Decries War Crimes in South Sudan

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the warring factions in South Sudan’s civil conflict of war crimes that has seen over 860,000 civilians forcibly displaced from their homes. Government forces as well as rebel armies, according to HRW, have engaged in ethnic-based extrajudicial executions and wanton destruction of property.

Daniel Bekele, HRW’s Africa Director, has urged the African Union (AU) to immediately initiate investigations and stop both sides from committing these abuses. “The AU should immediately commence investigations as it has long promised,” Bekele said. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Africa Director Daniel Bekele has urged AU to take decisive action towards stopping war crimes in South Sudan (Photo Credit: Misterseed.com)

In the towns of Bentiu and Malakal, homes are virtually deserted and extensively destroyed as many residents have sought refuge in the relatively peaceful rural regions as well as UN camps. Many people are scared of returning to their homes for fear of more ethnic-motivated attacks. Both towns are homes to various ethnic groups and are key gateways to oil fields.

Some of the civilians who have remained in these towns have paid with their lives as was the case in Bentiu and Rubkona in January this year. HRW accuses the government forces of killing civilians remaining in the town as they sought to pursue rebels who had earlier on occupied the two towns.

Residents fleeing for their lives have not always had success as was witnessed last week when 150 people from Malakal drowned in the Nile River while escaping fighting between pro and antigovernment forces. According to Philip Jaben, the Information Minister of Upper Nile, the victims were trying to cross the river using boats when rebel forces shot at them prompting them to jump into the river.

The South Sudanese conflict began on December 15 2013 after heavy fighting among the presidential guard in the country’s capital, Juba. President Salva Kiir alleged that the fighting was a result of an attempted coup orchestrated by his former Deputy-turned-archrival Riek Machar. The latter, on the hand, claimed that the fighting was instigated by President Kiir as a cover-up for eliminating his rivals.

An agreement to cease hostilities was signed by both sides on January 23 2014. However, this seems to have done little to bring peace to the world’s newest nation. The war has taken an ethnic dimension pitting President Kiir’s Dinka group against Machar’s Nuer ethnic group.

South Sudan became the world’s youngest nation in 2011 after over 98 percent of its citizens voted in favour of independence from Sudan. This came after a 20-year civil war against the Khartoum government. The conflict, dubbed the ‘Second Sudanese Civil War’ saw millions of South Sudanese become refugees.