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GENEVA / SOUTH SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS
STORY: GENEVA / SOUTH SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 02:39
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, Palais Wilson, UN Human Rights Headquarters in Geneva
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecile Pouilly Spokesperson UN Human Rights Office:
“These human rights violations include hundreds of cases of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced recruitment of children and enforced disappearances.”
FILE - 20 APRIL, 2014, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
3. Med shot, bodies on road side
4. Wide shot, dead bodies in front of Mosque
5. Med shot, pile of dead bodies
6. Med shot, UN official looking at dead bodies
21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecile Pouilly Spokesperson UN Human Rights Office:
“Sexual violence is also a key issue of concern; people are talking to us on the ground and saying that there are situations of gang rapes, sexual slavery, forced abortion – all terrible crimes for which there have been impunity so far.”
FILE - UNMISS - APRIL 20, 2014, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
8. Tracking shot, civilians going to protection area at UNMISS
21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecile Pouilly Spokesperson UN Human Rights Office:
“Their numbers are estimated between 13 to 15,000 children who have been forcibly recruited by both sides of the conflict, but mainly by opposition forces.”
10. FILE – UNMISS 27 JANUARY 2015, GUMURUK, SOUTH SUDAN
11. Wide shot, children marching
12. Med shot, children seated holding guns while singing
21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecile Pouilly Spokesperson UN Human Rights Office.
“We have also noticed a very disturbing new pattern of entire villages being burnt down – with livestock being stolen and food being burnt as well. Which tends to show that there is an intention to forcibly displace civilians and those mainly responsible for those terrible allegations, according to witnesses, are the army or the government.”
FILE – UNMISS - 28 JANUARY 2014, MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN
14. Wide shot, looted market
15. Wide shot, burnt house of the Governor Simon Kun Phouch
21 JANUARY 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecile Pouilly Spokesperson UN Human Rights Office “Over 2.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes and over 4 million people are now facing severe food shortages, all together in the three most affected states, 70 per cent of the schools have been closed down. It shows that beyond the conflict itself many of the rights have been affected including the right to health and the right to education.”
FILE – UNMISS – UNDATED, SOUTH SUDAN
17. Close up, food sacks
18. Wide shot people milling in camps
19. Wide shot camps
A new report by the United Nations Mission there (UNMISS) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) shows that widespread human rights violations and abuses have been committed by all parties to the conflict since December 2013, including hundreds of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, forced recruitment and indiscriminate attacks against civilians.
The report says the conflict is characterised by sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, forced recruitment of children and enforced disappearances - crimes committed by both sides.
“Sexual violence is also a key issue of concern, people are talking to us on the ground and saying that there are situations of gang rape, sexual slavery, forced abortion – all terrible crimes for which there have been impunity so far,” Cecile Pouilly a Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office has said.
The report jointly produced by the UN Mission in South Sudan and the UN Human Rights Office documents violations since beginning of the conflict in 2013 in three main states in the world’s youngest nation. Children have not been spared; the report cites that the conflict has thousands of child soldiers forcefully recruited.
“Their numbers are estimated between 13 to 15,000 children who have been forcibly recruited by both sides of the conflict. But mainly by opposition forces.”
It also notes that there are no safe havens with attacks on places of worship, hospitals and, from time to time, on the United Nations bases.”
The severity of the human rights and humanitarian law violations has been attributed to both sides of the conflict.
Government forces have been cited to be responsible for forced displacements.
“We have also noticed a very disturbing new pattern of entire villages being burnt down – with livestock being stolen and food being burnt as well. Which tends to show that there is an intention to force civilians, to forcibly displace civilians and those mainly responsible for those terrible allegations, according to witnesses are the army or the government.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for accountability and justice for the victims.
The United Nations has documented rape as a weapon of war. In June 2008 the UN Security voted unanimously for a resolution describing rape as a tactic of war and a threat to international security.
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