UN human rights report: Central Equatoria
Witness testimonies and other evidence of human rights violations have been gathered by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and compiled into a human rights report, published 8 May 2014.
The report covers the period since 15 December 2013 and was prepared by the peacekeeping mission’s Human Rights Division (HRD).
Its publication follows an earlier interim rights report released on 21 February 2014. This report is based primarily on over 900 interviews with victims and witnesses, among others,
Radio Tamazuj is publishing parts of the report section by section. Here is presented the section of the report on human rights abuses in Central Equatoria State.
Central Equatoria State
52. On the evening of 15 December, heavy gunfire was heard throughout the capital of Juba, Central Euqatoria State. In the early morning of 16 December, there was fighting in the SPLA barracks at Bilpam and the SPLA armoury in the Newsite neighbourhood.
The faction of the Presidential Guard loyal to the Government defeated the defecting troops loyal to Mr. Machar in the barracks and, as the latter retreated, the former chased them through civilian neighbourhoods, shooting at them on the way.
General confusion, and then panic, was reported as civilians saw troops moving into their communities.
53. Many soldiers began conducting house-to-house searches, killing, looting, and conducting arbitrary arrests. Corroborated witness accounts indicate that Nuer civilians were targeted and gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law were committed in the process.
The violence, which spread widely in matter of hours, subsided after three days. Moreover, due to the devastation and lasting fear generated by the violence, tens of thousands of civilians remain in IDPs sites, too afraid to return home.
By 17 April, over 79,000 people were displaced in Central Equatoria State and by 22 April, over 32,000 civilians were seeking protection in UNMISS PoC sites in Juba.
54. The following section provides a description of some of the humanitarian law and human rights violations that occurred with the initial outbreak of violence in Juba; a mass killing in a Juba neighbourhood; an attack on the home of Mr. Machar; and restrictions on freedom of expression that have been imposed in the context of the conflict.
Juba, 16-18 December
55. After fighting in the barracks, and with the pro-Machar defecting troops of the SPLA defeated and retreating from Juba, soldiers in SPLA uniforms swarmed into neighbourhoods in Juba. The first neighbourhoods affected were those close to military installations, namely Giada and Bilpam barracks. The attacks then spread across Juba.
56. Numerous witnesses who spoke to the HRD told consistent stories of house-to-house searches in multiple neighbourhoods across Juba, notably Jebel, Newsite, Mia Saba, Lologo, Khor William, Gudele, Eden, and Mangaten.
These neighbourhoods are spread across Juba and cover large areas of the city: Jebel in the southwest; Mia Saba in the northern, central city; Lologo and Khor William near the southeast; and Newsite in the north. Many, such as Mia Saba and Newsite, are known as predominantly Nuer residential areas.
Many also border on military barracks, including Jebel which is near the Giada barracks; Lologo near Khor William; and Newsite which is adjacent to the SPLA Headquarters at Bilpam and an SPLA armoury.
57. Security forces killed unarmed civilians, detained and otherwise took people away, destroyed homes, and stole valuables. Most incidents allegedly occurred between 15 and 18 December, although the vast majority of incidents took place on 16 December.
Over the course of these few days, whole neighbourhoods were emptied. By 18 December, 8,500 people sought shelter overnight at UNMISS Tomping; a further 8,000 sought shelter at the UN House compound. Thousands also sought refuge in other locations, such as churches.
Dead bodies were seen across the city, in Jebel, Munuki, Lologo, Newsite, Mia Saba, Tomping, Khor William, Gudele, Eden, Mangaten, and the Juba University area.
Photographs received by the HRD support these reports. Reportedly, bodies were taken, in some cases by truck, to one or more unknown disposal sites, likely between 16 and 19 December. The Government has informed UNMISS that it recorded some burials in Juba.
58. According to sources, security forces targeted men of Nuer ethnicity. Several sources relayed how Nuers were identified by facial markings; if an individual was not identifiable by facial markings, security forces reportedly questioned them in the Dinka language or asked about their ethnicity.
If a person questioned in this way admitted to being Nuer, could not speak Dinka, or was able to speak Nuer, that person would be shot. Several Nuer survivors reported that they believe their lives were spared because they could speak other languages such as Anyuak or Dinka or because they claimed to be members of non-Nuer ethnic groups.
59. The perpetrators were members of the security forces, mostly armed and in uniform. Although the majority of allegations implicate the SPLA and the SSNPS, other security forces were reportedly involved, including the National Security Service (NSS), the Wildlife Service, the NPSSS, and even the Fire Brigade.
In many cases, it was reported that members of the security forces spoke the Dinka language or bore identifying facial marks specific to the Dinka ethnicity.
60. From various accounts, security forces entered neighbourhoods on foot, in official vehicles, and/or in tanks. Several sources reported that security forces ran over homes with the tanks. Reportedly, in some cases the security forces or even neighbours announced in Arabic that people should come out of their homes.
At least one witness with some knowledge of the Dinka language indicated that in his area, an individual called out in the Dinka language that Dinkas should not be concerned as Nuers were the ones being sought.
61. While each individual witness account could not be verified due to a variety of factors, the general pattern of events described by witnesses is credible due to the large number of reports received, the consistent nature of the reports, as well as the presence of additional corroborating information.
62. In the Mangaten neighbourhood, for instance, early in the morning on 16 December, the fighting was reportedly very intense. A Nuer man decided to leave his home and make his way to Mia Saba, to escape the fighting. He walked with a group of about 300 or 400 other Nuer for about an hour.
The fighting followed them. The witness then walked about an hour and a half to a relative’s home in Gudele, after hearing it was still safe. Only a few hours after arriving, he heard gunshots.
A woman who was went to look at what was happening in the street reported back that “the Dinka police are killing Nuer”. The witness as well as others in the house ran, but were caught by police and detained for several days before escaping.
63. In Newsite, on 16 December, several witnesses reported that, not long after the Nuer soldiers were defeated at the SPLA armoury, soldiers in uniforms and speaking the Dinka language entered Newsite in big numbers in tanks and by foot.
One witness reported that, after soldiers entered Newsite, 18 men were ordered to make a line and were tied together with rope. They were directed to walk for about 15 minutes until they reached a location with several tukuls (thatched huts).
As many as 200 Nuer men were detained in these tukuls and subsequently taken in groups to be interrogated in the Dinka language, or in Arabic if they could not speak Dinka. In a few cases, following the interrogation, men would be returned to the tukuls; in the majority of cases they did not.
Gunshots could be heard throughout the night.
Those who remained the next morning were reportedly released into the custody of NSS personnel and thereafter detained and interrogated for some days. The approximately eight men who survived reportedly either could speak Dinka or spoke only English. None of the survivors had Nuer facial markings.
64. In Khor William, on 16 December, as a witness was trying to escape the neighbourhood, he was stopped by SPLA at a checkpoint and told to sit down with approximately ten other Nuer men. Three of the men were shot; the remaining men were taken to an SPLA barracks and questioned for about six hours before being released.
On 17 December, a Nuer witness reported that after being arrested on the street by SPLA soldiers in Khor Romla, near the Khor William area, he was detained along with 200 Nuer males, both soldiers and civilians and including some children, in containers in a factory in Jebel Kujur area. Many of the men were released and transported to the UNMISS PoC area on 18 December after being interrogated by two senior SPLA officers.
65. In Mia Saba, on 16 December, around 14:00, one man saw a group of security forces, mostly comprising SPLA soldiers but with some SSNPS, enter the neighbourhood.
He reports that they were organized “in big groups” and were “collecting” Nuer civilians from the street and from houses and tying their hands behind their backs to take them on foot to other locations. He saw three lines of civilians tied together with ropes and clothes; in one line, there were between 10 and 20 people.
66. Also in Mia Saba, several witnesses report that, on 16 December, they were taken from their houses by Dinka SPLA in a group of around 40 Nuer men, tied together with bed sheets and forced to walk to the Newsite cemetery.
Along the way, a witness saw the soldiers bringing different men being taken from their homes. Smaller groups of between four and eight men were shot dead as they walked. One witness reported that, every time the group came across a dead SPLA soldier, they killed four or five men from the group.
This reportedly took place between two and three times during the walk. Around 20 of those who reached the cemetery were then shot. Those who were not shot were detained for three days and then released.
67. In Tomping, on 16 December, a witness reported that about 40 or 50 SPLA soldiers wearing uniforms arrived carrying heavy weaponry, including RPGs and AK-47s. They told everyone to come out of their houses, speaking in Dinka.
Seven soldiers entered his house, ordered him outside and made him kneel on the ground. He recognized some of the soldiers as his neighbours. The witness was ordered to give the soldiers his car keys and money. The soldiers then told him to find his way to UNMISS or they would kill him.
68. In Lologo, on the afternoon of 16 December, a witness reports that a group of five SPLA soldiers forcefully entered his house. He ran away, although his housemates were left behind. He heard several gunshots as he ran.
While on the way, he saw SPLA soldiers raiding houses and shooting civilians. According to the witness, “Nuer were being killed like chickens.”
69. Credible allegations have been received that, after people fled their homes in search of safety, SPLA or other security forces have occupied them. This is particularly acute in areas targeted in the initial searches. This has been acknowledged by several local officials, including in the security forces, to UNMISS.
Mass killing in Gudele
70. One incident that has been well documented by the HRD illustrates the nature and the scope of the violence in Juba. It involves the killing of at least 300 Nuer men in the Gudele neighbourhood on 16 December.
71. According to numerous accounts received by HRD, including those of survivors of the incident, beginning on the morning of 16 December, until the afternoon, Nuer men from Gudele were rounded up by various members of security forces. One victim was at home with several relatives who had fled to Gudele, believing it was safe from the fighting in Newsite and Mia Saba. Around mid-day, police came to the home and took everyone from the house. One person who tried to resist was shot.
72. In many reported instances, members of the security forces seemed to know which houses were occupied by Nuer families following discussion with Dinka neighbours; in some instances, the Dinka members of the security forces were neighbours of the Nuers they targeted.
The perpetrators were reportedly primarily from the SPLA and the SSNPS, although some victim testimonies also implicate the NSS, the Wildlife Service, and the Fire Brigade. Many of the perpetrators were recognizable to witnesses as members of the Dinka ethnicity.
73. Several witnesses reported that Nuer men were ordered to come out of their houses and stand in a line, with women specifically left behind. Individuals who resisted were shot. Their clothes were tied together and they were ordered to raise their hands as if surrendering. They were ordered to start walking.
Several witnesses reported that Dinka community members insulted them as they walked by. Many witnesses had all of their valuables, such as money and identification documents, taken from them. One victim stated that Gudele road was closed to traffic and all the people walking in the street were being stopped and questioned about their ethnicity.
74. According to information gathered from various reliable sources, at least 300 Nuer men, possibly up to 450, were rounded up in this way. They were brought to a building nearby, across from the Lou Clinic, which the vast majority of witnesses referred to as a police station.
The facility is, according to sources, located in a building formerly used by the Sudan Armed Forces which now houses the SPLA, SSNPS, and Auxiliary police. This building apparently functions as a centre for joint military/police operations.
One witness reported that there were many dead bodies on the street around the facility. Another victim ran to the police station, fleeing the house-to-house searches in Gudele, thinking that the police would protect him. Once there, the victim’s friends were shot, and he was detained.
75. The men were ordered into a small room in the building with several windows. Several witnesses reported that boys were among the crowd. All were Nuer.
One victim reported that some of the men and boys in the room had been brought not only from Gudele, but from other neighbourhoods such as Newsite, Mangaten, and Mia Saba. When some of the men asked why they had been detained, they were reportedly informed that it was because they were Nuer.
76. The door and windows were then locked and the men were left in the room for several hours. It was hot and difficult to breathe. One witness indicated that it was “unbearable”. Several men reportedly died of suffocation.
77. At around 20:00 hours, unknown individuals shot through the windows and door into the group of men in the room. According to more than one account, this took place several times throughout the night, for several minutes each time.
After the shooting, individuals in uniform went inside the room with torches to check if anyone was still alive; those found alive were shot again or killed with knives. The vast majority of men in the room were killed. A small number of men were reportedly saved by dead bodies that fell on them, hiding them and providing a shield.
78. A few of these survivors escaped. Others were reportedly released by members of security forces, with various witnesses indicating that it was the SPLA, SSNPS, or the NSS who discovered their presence.
Survivors were taken to hospital in some cases, sometime between 17 and 18 December. It is assessed that at least 12 men survived the incident. The SSNPS has informed UNMISS that it is investigating this incident.
Attack on the residence of Riek Machar
79. On 17 December, the Juba residence of Mr. Machar in the Hai Amarat neighbourhood was reportedly attacked. The former Vice-President departed Juba in the early hours of 16 December. Several members of his security detail, at least 35, including the SPLA Tiger Division and NSS personnel, remained at the residence.
80. Civilians, including women and children, were also at the residence and according to one witness, could have been as many as 60, while others provided lower numbers. Some civilians were brought there by soldiers on 16 December, although it is unclear whether it was for protection or under coercion.
One interviewee indicated that Nuer civilians who arrived in the compound were running from the shooting and targeting of Nuer in other areas in the city, thinking that the residence of Mr. Machar would be a safe place to stay.
81. Several witnesses noted that the security personnel inside the residence were told to disarm by SPLA from the Tiger Division who had deployed outside the perimeter of the residence.
One witness indicated that there were approximately 200 or 250 soldiers. The order was complied with and, as indicated by some interviewees, all those inside the residential compound, both security personnel and civilians, were thereafter not allowed to leave the compound
82. The following morning, a significant number of security forces surrounded the compound. At approximately 09:00, the compound was attacked by a large group of heavily armed security forces. Five sources stated that the attackers were a mix of security forces, including SPLA, SSNPS, Wildlife Service, and the SPLA Tiger Division.
Most of the interviewees stated that they saw at least two tanks as well as pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns and other heavy weaponry. At least one source reported that the tanks broke through the walls of the compound.
83. Multiple sources reported that the attacking security forces shot at unarmed individuals. While they scattered in different directions, it is reported that at least five of the unarmed soldiers were killed and at least five more wounded. One source reported that the security forces shot at the residence where civilians were staying.
The shooting reportedly went on for hours and stopped sometime between 13:00 and 15:00 hours when, according to witnesses, NSS personnel arrived. The injured were taken to the Juba Teaching Hospital while other civilians and security personnel were arrested and taken to different locations. Several civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed although the HRD has not been able to establish an exact number.
Violations of freedom of expression and censorship of the press
84. In the months prior to the outbreak of conflict, the climate for freedom of expression in South Sudan had progressively worsened. With the outbreak of violence on 15 December, a sharp deterioration was evident.
In mid-January, the HRD was informed of dozens of incidents involving the illegal arrest, detention, intimidation, harassment, and expulsion of national and foreign journalists, as well as the surveillance and censorship of media houses.
Dozens of human rights defenders and local human rights organisations also reported that they were being threatened and that their property had been looted. One was forced to shut down its operations and leave the country.
85. The Juba Monitor’s distribution was temporarily suspended in February and copies of the newspaper were confiscated by NSS personnel several times. On 16 January, for example, copies were reportedly confiscated after the publication of an article referring to the 2015 elections.
On 24 March, copies were reportedly confiscated at the Juba airport after arriving from Khartoum where they had been printed, reportedly because the newspaper was believed to contain statements critical of the Government. A staff member was ordered to follow NSS personnel to their offices, where the papers were held for about three hours before being released after review.
The next day, the HRD was informed that the NSS had told media houses that newspapers would be closed if they published articles that were condemnatory of the Government or written by four identified opinion writers who are considered to be critical.
86. By mid-February, sources reported that only two radio stations in Juba were broadcasting their usual programming due to surveillance and intimidation by NSS personnel.
On 3 March, the Arabic- language newspaper Al-Maghar Asiysia was reportedly suspended by the Ministry of Information indefinitely on the grounds that it had published false information, failed to comply with Government policy, and covered stories on the rebels. Legal efforts to revoke the suspension have apparently not been successful to date.
87. On 11 March, numerous media outlets reported that the Minister of Information had warned journalists in a telephone conversation not to broadcast or publish interviews with armed opposition leaders in South Sudanese media.
He added that this constituted ‘subversive activity’ and ‘an offence’, although he did not cite a specific legal provision to substantiate the assertion. The measure seems to have been applied retroactively.
On 13 March, an international correspondent was questioned and briefly detained by NSS for an interview he had conducted with Mr. Machar on 9 February. He was released after a few hours following pressure from the embassy of the country of his nationality.
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