Press briefing notes Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Press briefing note on South Sudan

03 February 2012

3 February 2012
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
Subject: South Sudan

We are very concerned about the latest killings in Warrap State in South Sudan early this week, where a deadly cattle raid has left at least 78 people dead, 9 missing and 72 wounded. Reportedly, about three-quarters of those who were killed were women and children. Most of the killing appears to have been inflicted by pangas (machetes).

The county commissioner has informed a UN team that visited the affected areas that more than 70,000 head of cattle were looted. This is extremely worrying because an exclusively pastoralist economy means that around 40,000 people have now been left without a livelihood. There are shortages of water, food, shelter and medicine for those displaced by the attack, most of whom belong to the Luac Jang tribe.

We call on all relevant authorities to ensure that urgent measures are taken to help secure the economic and social rights of those affected by the attack, which was reportedly carried out by men from the neighbouring Unity State.

We are continuing our investigations into this incident along with UNMISS, as well as the earlier violence in neighbouring Jonglei State.

In response to a question requesting more details:

The information we have so far is still sketchy and investigations are continuing. Both the attack in Warrap State, and the one last month in Jonglei, happened in very remote places, that can be very hard indeed to access. This latest attack is believed to have involved people crossing from Mayendit County in neighbouring Unity State, who suddenly attacked a cattle camp in Bul, a swampy area some 40 kilometres to the south of Romich in the eastern part of Warrap state. This area is reportedly good for grazing cattle, and attracts cowherds from several surrounding areas. The attackers reportedly targeted villages belonging mainly to the Luac Jang tribe.

This attack has no link to the Jonglei incidents -- which took place many hundreds of kilometres to the east -- even though the main objective of the attack may have been the same: to take cattle.

ENDS

For more information or media requests, please contact Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org) or Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org).

Press briefing note on South Sudan

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