By Charles K Mark
At least 406 people have been killed in the last quarter of 2023 as a result of violence across South Sudan.
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reported in a brief on violence affecting civilians, covering October to December, last year.
Inter-communal conflict, according to the mission, continues to cause immense harm to communities across the country.
The Mission documented 233 incidents of violence across the country with 862 victims affected.
A record of 406 deaths, 293 injuries, 100 abductions, and 63 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were registered.
The Peacekeeping Mission registered a four percent increase in incidents (215 to 223) and a 35 percent increase in victims (641 to 862) compared to the previous quarter.
It also recorded inter-communal violence by community-based militias and/or civil defense groups at 86 percent of all civilians affected during the period (740 victims).
The brief noted the main conflict hotspot, Warrap State, as most experienced a sharp increase in victims by 87% compared to the previous quarter, from 244 to 457.
According to UNMISS, more than half of the affected by overall subnational violence were caught up in retaliatory attacks related to the ongoing border disputes between Dinka Twic Mayardit in Warrap and Dinka Ngok communities in the Abyei box.
“With 263 killed and 186 injured,” the mission reported.
Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, said calls for national intervention, though UNMISS endeavors to prevent violence and build peace in the affected areas.
“But urgent intervention by authorities at the national, state, and local levels is needed to resolve underlying grievances and build peace,” Haysom said.
The brief also reported a 54% increase in abduction victims, from 65 to 100 (21 men, 18 women, 48 boys, and 13 girls), compared to the previous quarter.
Small-scale attacks by alleged armed Murle elements from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) make up 43% of all abductions in South Sudan.
The brief notes that 104 victims were subjected to sexual violence. Of these, 63 (including 12 minors) experienced conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).
Another 41 victims (33 girls, seven women, and one boy) suffered sexual and gender-based violence.
While this represents a 20 percent decrease in victims compared to the previous quarter, the report noted that SGBV remains one of the most critical threats to the protection and well-being of women and children.