Share

More than 150 women, girls raped in South Sudan

More than 150 women and girls have come forward in the past 12 days to seek help in South Sudan after they were raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence, the heads of three UN agencies said Monday.

Armed men, many in uniform, carried out the attacks near the northern city of Bentiu, according to a joint statement from Henrietta Fore, who heads the UN children's agency Unicef, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock and the director of the UN Population Fund, Natalia Kanem.

The three agencies condemned "these abhorrent attacks" and called on South Sudan authorities to ensure the perpetrators face justice.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) last week said 125 women and girls had been raped while walking to emergency food distribution centers set up by international aid agencies.

At war since 2013, South Sudan has seen horrific levels of sexual violence.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

In the first half of 2018, some 2 300 cases were reported, the vast majority of those targeting women and girls. More than 20% of the victims were children, the UN statement said.

The three agencies said the actual number of rapes was far higher because the violence is severely underreported.

As well as being raped, MSF said many of the victims were "whipped, beaten or clubbed with sticks and rifle butts" and robbed of their clothes, shoes, money and the ration cards entitling them to food aid.

"In more than three years of working in South Sudan, I have never seen such a dramatic increase in survivors of sexual violence arriving at our programmes looking for medical care," said Ruth Okello, a MSF midwife in South Sudan.

A UN panel of experts last month said in a report to the Security Council that there were "alarming levels" of sexual violence and human rights abuses in South Sudan.

The council is due to discuss the crisis in South Sudan on December 18.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
What is a non-negotiable when considering the election manifestos from various parties?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
A solid plan for load shedding
15% - 443 votes
Bold climate change objectives
1% - 30 votes
Roadmap for economic recovery
51% - 1526 votes
Solutions to SA's crime crisis
33% - 976 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.51
-0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.5%
Platinum
895.30
-0.2%
Palladium
991.47
-1.0%
Gold
2,196.11
+0.1%
Silver
24.46
-0.8%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,818
+0.2%
All Share
74,028
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,225
+1.0%
Industrial 25
103,464
+0.2%
Financial 15
16,455
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE