The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan has called for an end to impunity in the country.
David Shearer made the statement after visiting Ganyiel, as part of his mandate to assess the impact of the ongoing fighting on civilians.
Ganyiel is located in the north of South Sudan’s Unity region.
‘The situation is still bad. There’s still ongoing fighting, although that seems to have reduced a bit’. He stated.
He regrets that the number of people coming to the UN base for refuge is growing higher daily.
‘The most appalling thing that I am hearing is the stories from the people [the conflict affected people]; what happened to them; how they were targeted by soldiers.’
After the visit, the UNMISS chief met with area leaders in the Unity region from the government and the opposition parties and delivered a strong message.
He met with Deputy Governor Joseph Nhial in Ganyiel; Governor John Matip Galok in Leer, Southern Liech; and Governor Them Machar of Ruweng.
‘I told them that targeting civilians is completely unacceptable,’ Mr Shearer reiterated.
The UNMISS chief notices that the conflict in South Sudan has become more complex than when it broke out in December 2013.
He calls for urgent need for a political solution to the conflict.
He stresses that ceasefire agreements have been violated numerous times by parties to the conflict.