UN peacekeepers implicated in atrocities in South Sudan

What you need to know:

  • The Small Arms Survey, a lobby group disclosed in a new investigation released last week that the UN officials operating in South Sudan’s Bentiu town offered dozens of weapons and ammunitions to rebel General James Koang after the outbreak of war in 2013.

Juba. The South Sudan rebels loyal to Dr Riek Machar acquired weapons they used to commit atrocities in Unity State from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeepers, a new report says.

The Small Arms Survey, a lobby group disclosed in a new investigation released last week that the UN officials operating in South Sudan’s Bentiu town offered dozens of weapons and ammunitions to rebel General James Koang after the outbreak of war in 2013.

The report says the weapons were later used for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity after Gen Koang’s troops stormed a mosque and hospital and killed dozens of civilians in Bentiu. (NMG)