The South Sudan Human Rights Commission (SSHRC) said that ethnic fear and mistrust is a major part of the ongoing civil war.

SSHRC chairman Lawrence Korbandy told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva that ethnic tensions have dismantled the social fabric of communities, especially among major tribes the Dinka and Nuer in South Sudan.

Kordbandy's view is in contrast to SPLM-Juba leader Salva Kiir’s pronouncement at the UN General Assembly in New York on 27 September.

"The conflict in South Sudan is purely a political struggle for power - not an ethnic conflict as reported," Kiir said.

Korbandy pointed out that over 90,000 IDPs are still under protection of UNMISS because they fear annihilation by another tribe if they go home.

However, the SSHRC chairman commended government efforts to promote and protect the rights of the citizens, saying an investigation committee on human rights abuses headed the former chief justice had been formed.

He said the world’s youngest nation has witnessed the worst internal displacements of its civilian population in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.

“The humanitarian conditions of the IDP sheltering inside the camps need intervention,” he told the UNHRC meeting.

Nearly 1.5 million South Sudanese have been displaced due to the conflict. Aid agencies say the chance of famine has lessened but is still possible if war continues.

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South Sudan rights commission blames "ethnic massacres" for spread of war

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