Violent clashes continue to roil areas of South Sudan, where a rebel uprising and interethnic fighting have injured hundreds of people and displaced thousands. The United States is deeply concerned about the on-going insecurity, and by mounting reports of abuses of civilians, including beatings and killings, looting and the destruction of homes and humanitarian facilities in Jonglei State. Aid workers have had little or no access to the area, South Sudan’s largest state, greatly exacerbating the situation, which has raged for weeks.
Civilians are frequently caught between rebels and government forces in their clashes. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes out of fear of being caught in the crossfire, or of being targeted in the fighting. Meanwhile, clashes between the Murle, Lou Nuer, and Bor Dinka ethnic groups have added to the turmoil, leaving many additional dead, injured, and displaced civilians.
The United States calls on the government of South Sudan to meet its obligation to ensure the safety and security of all civilians and to protect human rights regardless of a person’s or group’s background or ethnicity. The government also has an obligation to hold accountable those individuals responsible for the violence and who have committed human rights abuses, including members of South Sudan’s security forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
We stand ready to help provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the on-going violence across Jonglei State, and urge all parties to provide unfettered access for aid groups to help those in need. Building a lasting peace through reconciliation in Jonglei is essential to reaching the vision that South Sudan articulated in its independence two years ago this month; that of a forging an inclusive, democratic nation at peace internally and with its neighbors.