UN decries surge in tribal violence in South Sudan

Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | The United Nations on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating communal violence in South Sudan which it said has left several people dead and others injured.

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for South Sudan Nicholas Haysom condemned the recent clashes in Eastern, Central Equatoria, Unity, Warrap, and Jongeli States, as well as the Abyei Administrative Area, which he said are communal violence sparked by community-based militia groups.

“This violence strikes divisions and hampers reconciliation efforts, I am deeply troubled by,” Haysom told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Haysom, who is also the head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) warned of an increase in tribal violence due to food insecurity caused by climate change.

“South Sudan is a clear case where we see climate change and violence, and we see it mostly in the form of competition over scarce resources, diminishing of grazing land caused by floods and other natural disasters, and what we have seen not only renders the population subject to the horrible humanitarian crisis but it also sets communities off against communities as they compete for fewer resources including water and land,” he said.

Haysom also said the impact of delays in the implementation of the peace agreement has manifested in growing frustrations across the country.