The South Sudanese army and allied militia were committing widespread rape and often using rape as a means of 'reward' or payment to militias, the UN said in a report release this week.
UN investigators found 1300 women had been raped in 2015 as the army intentional targeted civilians as a means of instilling terror.
"Credible sources indicate groups allied to the government are being allowed to rape women in lieu of wages but opposition groups and criminal gangs have also been preying on women and girls," the UN said.
South Sudan's government denied the crimes outline in the report.
"As a responsible government we take every report seriously, when the report is about human rights violations. However, our forces are under strict command to observe human rights and to protect civilians," the presidential spokesperson was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying in an interview.
"If there are individuals, soldiers, that comes to violate human rights, then they are doing it at their own peril because the government does not authorise anybody to kill civilians," he said.
"We tell them .. to minimise civilian casualties when they are actually forced to fight."
See more here.
UN investigators found 1300 women had been raped in 2015 as the army intentional targeted civilians as a means of instilling terror.
"Credible sources indicate groups allied to the government are being allowed to rape women in lieu of wages but opposition groups and criminal gangs have also been preying on women and girls," the UN said.
South Sudan's government denied the crimes outline in the report.
"As a responsible government we take every report seriously, when the report is about human rights violations. However, our forces are under strict command to observe human rights and to protect civilians," the presidential spokesperson was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying in an interview.
"If there are individuals, soldiers, that comes to violate human rights, then they are doing it at their own peril because the government does not authorise anybody to kill civilians," he said.
"We tell them .. to minimise civilian casualties when they are actually forced to fight."
See more here.