South Sudan’s leadership is taking sides in the Lou Nuer-Murle ethnic conflict in Pibor County of Jonglei State.
The charge comes from Human Rights Watch in a statement issued on Friday titled ‘South Sudan: Army Making Ethnic Conflict Worse.’
Africa director at Human Rights Watch Daniel Bekele said ‘the government of South Sudan has utterly failed to stop armed Lou Nuer youth from moving into ethnic Murle areas, despite advance warnings that they were mobilizing.’
He added that ‘this failure, together with a spate of serious abuses by soldiers in the area, only reinforces the perception that South Sudan’s leaders are taking sides in this ethnic conflict.’
The rights watchdog charged South Sudan with serious abuses against civilians in its anti-insurgency campaign in Jonglei state.
It added that ‘soldier’s abuses and conflict with rebels have caused thousands of civilians to flee, making them especially vulnerable to recent large-scale attacks in an ethnic conflict in the same region.’
Human Rights Watch urged President Salva Kiir to condemn the attacks publicly and ensure that authorities immediately investigate and identify all those responsible, including government officials.