Civilian killings in South Sudan hit highest level since 2020: UN - Africa
The unstable East African nation has seen a drastic uptick in violence since simmering rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his vice-president Riek Machar boiled over into open hostilities.
The detention in March of Machar in the capital, Juba, further escalated tensions, with international NGOs working in the country reporting attacks on medical facilities and the targeting of civilians.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said that between January and March of this year, 739 civilians were killed, 679 injured, 149 abducted, and 40 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.
In a statement, it said that compared to the previous quarter, this toll marked a "110 per cent increase in civilians killed (352 to 739)".
The overall figure of victims was "the highest number in any three months since 2020".
The majority of the victims were recorded in Warrap State, where President Kiir declared a state of emergency in June. Most of the killings were linked to community-based militias or civil defence groups.
However, UNMISS said "conventional parties and other armed groups" accounted for 15 per cent of victims, "marking a concerning increase of 27 per cent (from 152 to 193)".
The UN has repeatedly warned of the deteriorating situation in the impoverished country, which is still recovering from a five-year civil war between forces allied to Kiir and Machar that was only ended by a fragile 2018 peace agreement.
That agreement has looked increasingly irrelevant, with UN rights chief Volker Turk calling on all parties in May to "urgently pull back from the brink" and uphold the deal.
The escalation of violence risks further worsening the already terrible humanitarian situation and widespread violations of human rights in the world's youngest country, he said at the time.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East
13 hours ago
- Middle East
OPEN// PM chairs meeting of Coordinating Council for Fiscal and Monetary Policies
NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt, July 31 (MENA) - The Coordinating Council for Fiscal and Monetary Policies, chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, affirmed during its meeting on Thursday the continuation of a flexible exchange rate system, as well as the implementation of the government's initial public offerings (IPOs) program and the State Ownership Policy Document with a view to generating additional resources to reduce public debt while maintaining competitive market conditions through the Egyptian Competition Authority. Held at the government headquarters in New Alamein City in Egypt's North Coast, the meeting was attended by Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Hassan Abdullah, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania el Mashat, Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan el Khatib, economic experts, deputy ministers and senior officials. The meeting highlighted the government's successful progress in paying the petroleum sector's dues to foreign partners according to the set schedule, Cabinet spokesman Mohamed El Homsany said. The meeting also reviewed the key policies and measures taken under the National Structural Reform Program, which is Egypt's main tool for turning economic goals into action, the spokesman added. The program focuses on enhancing macroeconomic stability, boosting economic competitiveness, improving the business climate and supporting green transition, he noted. The council also reviewed Egypt's participation in the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Spain's Seville city, where Egypt called for enabling private sector participation, increasing foreign investments in developing countries, improving governance in international financial institutions, expanding Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) allocations for developing nations, strengthening the UN's economic role globally, and updating debt sustainability assessment frameworks, the spokesman said. Egypt had also called during the FfD4 for promoting South-South and trilateral cooperation, defining global public goods, and using innovative financing tools to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship, according to him. (MENA) I S N/R E E
Al-Ahram Weekly
14 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
France airdrops aid to Gaza as famine deepens under Israeli blockade - War on Gaza
President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France had carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as UN-backed experts warned that the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory is experiencing famine. A new alert from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system released this week warned: "Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City." The alert added: "The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip." Concern has escalated sharply over the past week about famine in Gaza after more than 21 months of Israel's war and a five-month blockade that has severely restricted access to food, water, and medical supplies. "Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza," Macron said in English on X (formerly Twitter). "But airdrops are not enough. Israel must grant full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine," he added, thanking France's Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support. Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza. I thank our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, as well as our armed forces for their dedication. But airdrops are not enough.… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 1, 2025 Several tonnes of food will be delivered over the coming days, according to a joint statement from France's foreign and defence ministries. "France is also working on land transport, by far the most effective solution for the large-scale and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods desperately needed by the population," the statement said. The UN estimates Gaza requires at least 500 aid trucks per day, with each truck typically carrying between 15 and 20 tonnes. The French aid airdrops come a week after President Macron announced that his country would recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. Earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France would begin air-dropping 40 tonnes of aid into Gaza starting Friday. On Wednesday, hospitals across Gaza reported seven new deaths from starvation and severe hunger in the previous 24 hours, including a child. Gaza's health ministry later confirmed two more deaths, also including a child, bringing the total death toll from starvation to 159 since the war began — 90 of them children. The ministry also reported that hospitals had received 101 bodies and treated 625 injuries in the past 24 hours due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes. In the same period, at least 81 Palestinians were killed and more than 666 injured while trying to reach food near distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a US- and Israeli-backed scheme that has effectively replaced the UN-led humanitarian system in Gaza. GHF began operations in late May. Since then, Israeli troops have routinely opened fire on Palestinian civilians approaching the centres for food, according to UN and rights groups. The UN said that between 27 May and 31 July, at least 1,373 Palestinians were killed while attempting to access food, including 859 in the vicinity of GHF distribution sites. On Friday, Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 22 people, including eight near GHF aid sites, Gaza's civil defence agency reported. Many in Gaza now refer to those killed near food lines as "martyrs of the breadline." A report released Friday by Human Rights Watch accused Israeli forces at GHF distribution sites of routinely opening fire on starving civilians in acts that amount to war crimes. "The dire humanitarian situation is a direct result of Israel's use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war – a war crime – as well as Israel's continued intentional deprivation of aid and basic services, ongoing actions that amount to the crime against humanity of extermination, and acts of genocide," the report said. "The repeated use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces, without justification, violates both international humanitarian and human rights law.... Regular killings by Israeli forces near GHF sites also amount to war crimes," it added. According to the latest official figures, the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza since 7 October 2023 has risen to 60,332, with 147,643 injured. The majority of those killed are women and children. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Trump escalates trade war with Canada over Palestinian stance
Basant Ahmed President Donald Trump intensified his trade war with Canada, a day ahead of his August 1 deadline for a tariff agreement, saying it would be "very hard" to make a deal with Canada after it gave its support to Palestine statehood. Trump is set to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement if the two countries do not reach an agreement by the deadline. "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them," Trump said on Truth Social. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously said tariff negotiations with Washington had been constructive, but the talks may not conclude by the deadline. Talks between the two countries were at an intense phase, he added, but a deal that would remove all U.S. tariffs was unlikely. Canada is the second-largest U.S. trading partner after Mexico, and the largest buyer of U.S. exports. It bought $349.4 billion of U.S. goods last year and exported $412.7 billion to the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Canada is also the top supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, and faces tariffs on both metals as well as on vehicle exports. Last month, Carney's government scrapped a planned digital services tax targeting U.S. technology firms after Trump abruptly called off trade talks saying the tax was a "blatant attack." Carney followed France and Britain as he said on Wednesday that his country was planning to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September. In announcing the decision, Carney spoke of the reality on the ground, including starvation in Gaza. "Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza," he said. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
