UN Officials Warn of Possible War Crimes in South Sudan

The United Nations human rights office has raised alarm over mounting reports of serious human rights violations in South Sudan, warning that escalating violence between government forces and opposition groups may include acts that constitute war crimes.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said the latest wave of violence has produced widespread civilian casualties, destruction of critical infrastructure and mass displacement across several regions of the country.

Over the past 17 days, the UN says more than 160 civilians have been killed, highlighting a sharp escalation in the conflict that reignited earlier this year.

“Civilians are being brutally killed, injured and displaced on a daily basis across South Sudan as hostilities escalate between the army and opposition forces,” Türk said.

The UN detailed several incidents illustrating the scale of violence. On 1 March, at least 139 civilians were killed by fighters from the Bul Nuer ethnic group in Abiemnom locality in the Ruweng Administrative Area in northern South Sudan.

Earlier, on 21 February, government soldiers killed 21 civilians in Pankor village in Ayod County, Jonglei State after luring them to gather in one place under the pretense of distributing food aid.

“Fifteen women and three girls were among those killed,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Magango said that on the same day soldiers allegedly tied up and beheaded four civilians - an elderly man, a woman, a boy and a girl - in Thiam village of Wau Payam in Western Bahr al Ghazal State. The killings highlight what the UN describes as increasingly brutal tactics in the conflict.

“Some of these acts may amount to war crimes,” Türk said.

In addition to direct attacks on civilians, the UN says government forces have targeted critical civilian infrastructure. Witnesses interviewed by the UN Human Rights Office reported that approximately 99 wells were destroyed or poisoned during government airstrikes. The wells were contaminated with unidentified substances, depriving communities of access to safe drinking water.

The destruction of water sources risks compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis in a country where millions depend on limited infrastructure. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure essential for survival.

Türk called for prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into alleged violations.

There must be prompt, impartial, thorough and effective investigations into these and all other alleged violations of the laws of war and of international human rights law.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk

The violence has triggered large-scale displacement across multiple regions. More than 280,000 people have been displaced since late December across Jonglei, Lakes and Upper Nile States, according to UN figures.

The situation has become particularly volatile in the town of Akobo, where the military issued an evacuation order for civilians and humanitarian organizations on 6 March. The order also demanded the closure of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) temporary base in the town.

UNMISS has refused to withdraw, saying its peacekeepers will remain to provide a protective presence for civilians.

Thousands of residents have already fled the town amid fears of an imminent government assault. Türk said the exodus from Akobo illustrates the worsening humanitarian situation.

The displacement of thousands of civilians from Akobo over the weekend and the chilling spectre of armed violence will only serve to compound the anxiety and suffering the civilian population has endured since hostilities resumed in January.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk

The UN human rights office is urging an immediate halt to the fighting and a return to political negotiations. “There must be a ceasefire as promptly as possible, to save lives and turn this conflict in the direction of a negotiated solution,” Magango said.

The renewed conflict involves forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and factions aligned with First Vice-President Riek Machar, who has been suspended from his position after being accused of plotting to overthrow the president. The political confrontation has pushed the fragile 2018 peace agreement toward collapse.

Türk warned that without urgent international engagement and renewed dialogue, the country risks sliding into another full-scale civil war. “South Sudan must be pulled back from the brink of all-out civil war,” he said.