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JUBA - 3 Dec 2018

EU 'deeply concerned' about sexual assaults on women near Bentiu

A young woman en route to the UN base outside Bentiu in Unity state after collecting firewood. Photograph: Tristan Mcconnell/AFP/Getty Images
A young woman en route to the UN base outside Bentiu in Unity state after collecting firewood. Photograph: Tristan Mcconnell/AFP/Getty Images

European Union Heads of Mission said on Monday that they are deeply concerned by reports of rape and sexual assault, beating and robbery of approximately 125 women travelling from their villages to the town of Bentiu between 19 and 29 November.

“The reported attacks represent gross violations of human rights. EU Heads of Mission join the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in calling on the Government of South Sudan to conduct a thorough investigation into these reports in order to determine accountability and to bring those responsible for these violations to justice as well as to ensure that the necessary assistance is provided to the survivors without delay,” partly reads the EU statement.

The Heads of Mission further said they welcome investigations by UNMISS Human Rights Division and by the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) and await the outcomes of their investigations.

They pointed out that these attacks are a poignant reminder, occurring as they do during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, of the scale and severity of violence against women in South Sudan and indeed the suffering that the people of South Sudan continue to endure after many years of conflict in the country.

The group called on all the South Sudan parties to protect the human rights and ensure the safety and dignity of all South Sudanese citizens.

On Sunday, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan condemned the sexual attacks on the women near Bentiu town in Unity State.