This Week in South Sudan – Week 10

Tuesday 8 March

• The SPLA (IO) accused government force of attacking their position in Koch County in Unity State.
• NPR interview: “’Both Sides Are At Fault’: Susan Rice On South Sudan’s Civil War”

Wednesday 9 March

• SPLA (IO) and government forces reportedly clashed in Ulang and Nasser county, Upper Nile State, and in Koch county, Unity State.
• According to the SPLA (IO), a group of government troops have allegedly defectedand joined the rebel movement under Rick Machar’s leadership.

Thursday 10 March

• A South Sudanese journalist, Joseph Afandy, who criticized the government was reportedly abducted, tortured, burned and dumped near a graveyard according to local media reports.
• The Shilluk force, known as the Tiger Faction New Forces (TFNF) announced they will not support the peace agreement unless the 28 states-plan is evoked.

Friday 11 March

• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a new detailed report, identifying the numerous patterns of violations and abuses South Sudanese have endured since December 2013.
• International media cover of a new UN OHCHR report:
  • The Guardian: “UN report: South Sudan allowed soldiers to rape civilians in civil war”
  • Reuters: “U.N. accuses South Sudan forces of campaign of rape and killing”
  • Financial Times: “UN decries child killings and mass rape in South Sudan”
  • Bloomberg “South Sudan Forces Carried Out Murders, Rape, UN Report Says”
  • CNN “South Sudan troops systematically raped girls and women, U.N. says”
  • New York Times: “Mass Rape, a Weapon of War, Traumatizes South Sudan”
  • Al Jazeera broadcast news: “Inside Story – Have war crimes been committed in South Sudan?”
• New York Times: “Are as Many Civilians Dying in South Sudan as in Syria?”
• New York Times: “In South Sudan, City of Hope Is Now City of Fear”

Saturday 12 March

• Radio Tamazuj: “Timeline: Key investigations into atrocities in South Sudan”
• New York Times: “Where the Soldiers Are Scarier Than the Crocodiles”

Sunday 13 March

• Several senior rebel commanders who defected from the SPLA (IO) last year returned to Juba, ending several months of behind the scene negotiations with the government