Warrap State Governor Manhiem Bol Malek. (Photo: Office of the President).

Warrap State government on Friday “completely” condemned the recent UN Mission in South Sudan quarterly report indicating that the state is the most affected by chronic communal violence in the country.

According to the UNMISS brief over a period from April to June, Warrap State accounted for 34 percent of the 871 civilian victims.

It is followed by Jonglei, Upper Nile, Eastern Equatoria, and Central Equatoria states respectively.

UNMISS said despite the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement in April 2022, tensions and incidents of attacks and counterattacks in Warrap and Abyei continued to persist.

With the exception of Central Equatoria state, most of the states were generally impacted by violence involving community-based militias– all altogether accounting for approximately 83 percent of the victims recorded.

In response, Warrap Information Minister William Wol condemned the report, urging the UN not to publish any information to the public before investigating the incidents.

On the contrary, Wol said his state has never encountered any insecurity since October 2022, adding that he wonders where UNMISS got the report.

“I don’t know where they got this report those of Human Rights or UN based in South Sudan. “This is completely condemned, and I strongly urge the body to investigate any information before it is published to the public,” he told Eye Radio.

He said the recent incidents of insecurity were isolated cases that cannot make the state a leading zone in terms of violent conflicts.

“This is why I said from November because the last time an attack or cattle raiding happened; it was in October in a place called Panyanbek. From that time up to now, there has been never any cattle raiding in the State.”

“This is why I categorically condemn the statement, otherwise, the isolated incidents can be counted as isolated incidents and should not put Warrap State on top of this, so, I don’t know why UNMISS or UN put Warrap State on top of the list, this is our question everybody asks”.

Between April and June 2023, the UNMISS Human Rights Division (HRD) documented at least 222 incidents of violence affecting 871 civilians (395 killed, 281 injured, 166 abducted, and 29 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.

This represented an 18 percent increase in violent incidents compared to the same reporting period in 2022 (from 188 to 222) and a six percent decrease in number of victims (from 922 to 871).

The number of civilians killed decreased by 28 percent (from 549 to 395), while the number of victims injured increased by 54 percent (from 183 to 281). Abductions increased by 141 percent (from 69 to 166), while conflict-related sexual violence decreased by 76 percent (from 121 to 29).

In comparison to the previous quarter, there is a 14 percent increase in violent incidents (from 194 to 222) and a five percent decrease in civilians harmed (from 920 to 871).

The number of civilians killed decreased slightly by two percent (from 405 to 395), while injuries increased by 20 percent (from 235 to 281).

It said abductions decreased by 38 percent (from 266 to 166), while the number of victims subjected to CRSV increased by 107 percent (from 14 to 29).

UNMISS added that incidents of violence against civilians attributed to Government forces and other organized armed groups remained relatively low nationwide since the last spike in violence involving conventional parties in the last quarter of 2022 in the Greater Upper Nile region.