UN seeks to stop atrocities from sparking wider war

intern 15:30 - 14 December 2016

United Nations peacekeepers control South Sudanese women and children before the distribution of emergency food supplies at the United Nations protection of civilians (POC) site 3 hosting about 30,000 people displaced during the recent fighting in Juba...

This can be done if the UN immediately deploys a 4,000 strong protection force and sets up a court to prosecute atrocities.

The Head of a UN Human Rights Commission on Wednesday said that the international community can stop a “Rwanda-like’’ genocide in South Sudan.

If it immediately deploys a 4,000 strong protection force and sets up a court to prosecute atrocities.

"South Sudan stands on the brink of an all-out ethnic civil war, which could destabilise the entire region,"Yasmin Sooka said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, said the African Union must quickly set up the court "with a strong focus on command responsibility for atrocities".