This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/world/africa/south-sudan-war.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| U.N. Report Documents Atrocities by Both Sides in South Sudan War | U.N. Report Documents Atrocities by Both Sides in South Sudan War |
| (4 months later) | |
| BENTIU, South Sudan — Two weeks after a massacre here, the stench of dead bodies clung to the walls of the Kali-Ballee mosque. Bloodstains marked the ground; shirts, pants and sandals were still scattered about; and torn pages from the Quran were strewn all over the place. | |
| “If you saw what happened here, you would cry for the rest of your life,” said Ahmad Bushara al-Dai, 60, a Sudanese merchant who witnessed the attack on this town by rebel forces last month. | “If you saw what happened here, you would cry for the rest of your life,” said Ahmad Bushara al-Dai, 60, a Sudanese merchant who witnessed the attack on this town by rebel forces last month. |
| “The first wave of soldiers took our money and cellphones; the second found nothing, so they started shooting,” he said. “The machine guns did not stop, and the mosque was flowing with blood.” | “The first wave of soldiers took our money and cellphones; the second found nothing, so they started shooting,” he said. “The machine guns did not stop, and the mosque was flowing with blood.” |
| On Thursday, United Nations investigators issued a report describing horrors committed “on a massive scale” by both sides in the civil war in South Sudan. Security forces went from house to house killing men belonging to certain ethnic groups, it said. Civilians have been killed seeking shelter at United Nations bases. Combatants from both sides have raped and assaulted women. | On Thursday, United Nations investigators issued a report describing horrors committed “on a massive scale” by both sides in the civil war in South Sudan. Security forces went from house to house killing men belonging to certain ethnic groups, it said. Civilians have been killed seeking shelter at United Nations bases. Combatants from both sides have raped and assaulted women. |
| In the first major accounting of the violence in South Sudan, the United Nations documents crimes against humanity, including arbitrary killings and attacks on churches, hospitals and international aid facilities. | In the first major accounting of the violence in South Sudan, the United Nations documents crimes against humanity, including arbitrary killings and attacks on churches, hospitals and international aid facilities. |
| “Civilians were not only caught up in the violence, they were directly targeted, often along ethnic lines,” the report states. | “Civilians were not only caught up in the violence, they were directly targeted, often along ethnic lines,” the report states. |
| South Sudanese government officials could not be reached for comment. | South Sudanese government officials could not be reached for comment. |
| The report is likely to boost calls for sanctions, which the United States began this week with a freezing of assets and travel bans on two people, one from each side of the conflict. | The report is likely to boost calls for sanctions, which the United States began this week with a freezing of assets and travel bans on two people, one from each side of the conflict. |
| But it also underscores the difficulties facing the United Nations mission here. From the start, it has tried to support the fledgling nation. Now that the government is a party to a gruesome conflict, the Security Council is considering a change to its mandate so that it functions in a neutral capacity, with the principal goal of protecting civilians. | But it also underscores the difficulties facing the United Nations mission here. From the start, it has tried to support the fledgling nation. Now that the government is a party to a gruesome conflict, the Security Council is considering a change to its mandate so that it functions in a neutral capacity, with the principal goal of protecting civilians. |
| Civil war has engulfed South Sudan since December, when clashes erupted between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to his former vice president, Riek Machar. The conflict soon took on an ethnic dimension between South Sudan’s two largest groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. Mr. Kiir is a Dinka, while Mr. Machar is a Nuer. | Civil war has engulfed South Sudan since December, when clashes erupted between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to his former vice president, Riek Machar. The conflict soon took on an ethnic dimension between South Sudan’s two largest groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. Mr. Kiir is a Dinka, while Mr. Machar is a Nuer. |
| Thousands of people have been killed; more than a million have been displaced; and the United Nations has warned that famine threatens much of the country. | Thousands of people have been killed; more than a million have been displaced; and the United Nations has warned that famine threatens much of the country. |
| The peacekeeping mission’s report, based on interviews with more than 900 victims and witnesses, said that “from the very outset of the violence, gross violations of human rights and serious violations of humanitarian law have occurred on a massive scale.” | The peacekeeping mission’s report, based on interviews with more than 900 victims and witnesses, said that “from the very outset of the violence, gross violations of human rights and serious violations of humanitarian law have occurred on a massive scale.” |
| But the recent scale of violence, especially here in Bentiu, prompted one United Nations official to call it a “game changer.” | But the recent scale of violence, especially here in Bentiu, prompted one United Nations official to call it a “game changer.” |
| “I never thought the day would come when people would flee to Darfur,” said Toby Lanzer, the United Nations official in charge of coordinating the relief effort in South Sudan. | “I never thought the day would come when people would flee to Darfur,” said Toby Lanzer, the United Nations official in charge of coordinating the relief effort in South Sudan. |
| Last month, hundreds of civilians were killed when rebel forces took control of Bentiu, the capital of the oil-rich Unity State. Rebel forces, according to residents and the United Nations, separated groups of residents — who had sought refuge in churches, mosques and hospitals — by their ethnicity and nationality. Members of the ethnic Nuer group who did not support the rebels, along with South Sudanese people from other ethnic groups and nationalities, were targeted and killed. | Last month, hundreds of civilians were killed when rebel forces took control of Bentiu, the capital of the oil-rich Unity State. Rebel forces, according to residents and the United Nations, separated groups of residents — who had sought refuge in churches, mosques and hospitals — by their ethnicity and nationality. Members of the ethnic Nuer group who did not support the rebels, along with South Sudanese people from other ethnic groups and nationalities, were targeted and killed. |
| “The soldiers entered my house and asked, ‘Are you Dinka?’ ” said Naynatong Mamjok, 35, a mother of four. “When I said ‘yes,’ a soldier said ‘leave.’ ” She said she ran with her children to the nearby United Nations base, but her husband was not as fortunate: He was shot outside. | “The soldiers entered my house and asked, ‘Are you Dinka?’ ” said Naynatong Mamjok, 35, a mother of four. “When I said ‘yes,’ a soldier said ‘leave.’ ” She said she ran with her children to the nearby United Nations base, but her husband was not as fortunate: He was shot outside. |
| James Kuan Chol, a Nuer commander with the rebel forces that took control of Bentiu, dismissed accusations that groups were targeted based on their ethnicity. | James Kuan Chol, a Nuer commander with the rebel forces that took control of Bentiu, dismissed accusations that groups were targeted based on their ethnicity. |
| “The U.N. is biased,” he said. “They did not talk about what happened to the Nuer in Malakal,” a city east of Bentiu along the White Nile River. “My problem is that my people have been killed,” he said. | “The U.N. is biased,” he said. “They did not talk about what happened to the Nuer in Malakal,” a city east of Bentiu along the White Nile River. “My problem is that my people have been killed,” he said. |
| Gaw Both, 25, a Nuer student, said he was hanging out with seven of his friends at his house in Juba, the capital, on an evening in December, drinking tea, when suddenly they heard gunshots. They decided to stay put until morning. That’s when government soldiers knocked on his door. | Gaw Both, 25, a Nuer student, said he was hanging out with seven of his friends at his house in Juba, the capital, on an evening in December, drinking tea, when suddenly they heard gunshots. They decided to stay put until morning. That’s when government soldiers knocked on his door. |
| “ ‘Are you Nuer from Fangak, Bentiu, Nasir or Akobo,’ a soldier asked us,” Mr. Both said, listing Nuer regions in South Sudan. “Those from Bentiu, Akobo and Nasir were slaughtered immediately by knives,” Mr. Both said. “The rest of us were jailed.” | “ ‘Are you Nuer from Fangak, Bentiu, Nasir or Akobo,’ a soldier asked us,” Mr. Both said, listing Nuer regions in South Sudan. “Those from Bentiu, Akobo and Nasir were slaughtered immediately by knives,” Mr. Both said. “The rest of us were jailed.” |
| Mr. Both spent 12 days in a metal container with other students. Detainees, he said, were separated according to profession: students in one container, soldiers in another, and the rest in another. | Mr. Both spent 12 days in a metal container with other students. Detainees, he said, were separated according to profession: students in one container, soldiers in another, and the rest in another. |
| The cycle of revenge killings that started in Juba and continued in Bentiu has brought greater international pressure on both sides of the conflict. Slow-moving negotiations have moved up a gear, with both sides scheduled to meet Friday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. | The cycle of revenge killings that started in Juba and continued in Bentiu has brought greater international pressure on both sides of the conflict. Slow-moving negotiations have moved up a gear, with both sides scheduled to meet Friday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. |
| The talks would follow recent visits to Juba by Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations. On Monday, delegations from both sides agreed to open humanitarian corridors so aid could reach civilians. They also agreed to consider a “month of tranquillity” to help the flow of aid and enable people to plant crops, care for livestock and move to safer areas. | The talks would follow recent visits to Juba by Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations. On Monday, delegations from both sides agreed to open humanitarian corridors so aid could reach civilians. They also agreed to consider a “month of tranquillity” to help the flow of aid and enable people to plant crops, care for livestock and move to safer areas. |
| “It’s very good that the two leaders have agreed to meet,” said Hilde F. Johnson, head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan. “But if we don’t see action on a number of fronts now, we are seeing a perfect storm coming.” | “It’s very good that the two leaders have agreed to meet,” said Hilde F. Johnson, head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan. “But if we don’t see action on a number of fronts now, we are seeing a perfect storm coming.” |