Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UN Mission in South Sudan addresses a press conference in Juba on Wednesday, 28th Sept 2022. Credit: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio

The UN mission in South Sudan has documented at least 406 people killed and 293 injured in intercommunal conflict in different parts of the country in the last quarter of 2023.

According to UNMISS, a total of 862 victims including abduction and violence-related sexual abuse, were recorded between October and December of last year.

UNMISS said the report represents a 35 percent increase in victims from 641 to 862, in comparison with the report of the previous quarter.

It said community-based militias or civil defense groups accounted for 86 percent of the civilians affected during the period, with 740 victims.

The main conflict hotspot, Warrap State, experienced a sharp increase of victims by 87%, compared to the previous quarter, from 244 to 457.

The UNMISS body says that 263 of those killed and 186 injured were as a result of retaliatory attacks between Dinka Twic Mayardit in Warrap and Dinka Ngok communities in the Abyei box.

“Intercommunal conflict continues to cause immense harm to communities across the country,” Nicholas Haysom, the head of UNMISS said in a statement.

“UNMISS is doing all it can to prevent violence and build peace in the affected areas, but urgent intervention by authorities at the national, state and local levels is needed to resolve underlying grievances and build peace.”

The report also indicated a 54% increase in abduction – a rise from 65 to 100 victims including 21 men, 18 women, 48 boys and 13 girls – as compared to the previous quarter.

Haysom said small-scale attacks by alleged armed Murle elements from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) make up 43% of all abductions in South Sudan.

According the UN boss, 104 victims were subjected to sexual violence.

Of these, 63 including 12 minors experienced conflict-related sexual violence.

He also said 33 girls, seven women and one boy suffered sexual and gender-based violence.

Nicholas stated this represents a 20 decrease in victims compared to the previous quarter, the report notes that SGBV remains one of the most critical threats to the protection and well-being of women and children.