13 September 2013 Human Rights Watch South Sudan’s army has unlawfully killed and committed other serious violations against civilians in the context of a counterinsurgency campaign. The action in Jonglei State has forced thousands of people to flee their homes, making them more vulnerable to attack from rival ethnic groups. South Sudan should hold all abusive soldiers to account and bolster military and civilian justice to curb further violations. The 45-page report, “‘They are Killing Us’: Abuses Against Civilians in South Sudan’s Pibor County” documents 24 incidents of unlawful killings of almost 100 members of the Murle ethnic group between December 2012 Read the full article…

Freedom House 3 June 2013 South Sudan’s first full year of independence was marred by disputes with Sudan over border demarcations and management of the oil sector that brought both countries to the brink of war. A self-imposed oil shutdown following Sudan’s excessive fee demands for the use of its pipeline crippled South Sudan’s economy. Meanwhile, interethnic violence caused hundreds of deaths in Jonglei state. Read full report here.

International Committee of the Red Cross May 2013 In disputed areas between South Sudan and Sudan, military confrontations escalated into an international armed conflict between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Armed Forces. A comprehensive agreement defining, among other things, a demilitarized border zone was signed in September; however, discord over its implementation remained. Sporadic clashes erupted between armed groups and the SPLA, particularly in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states. Intercommunal violence persisted, affecting mainly Jonglei and, to a lesser extent, Lakes, Northern and Western Bahr al-Ghazal, and Warrap states. As a result, thousands of people Read the full article…

United States Department of State 19 April 2013 South Sudan is a republic operating under a transitional constitution signed into law upon declaration of independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011. The country was led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, whose authority derives from his 2010 election as president of what was then the semiautonomous region of Southern Sudan within the Republic of Sudan. While the 2010 Sudan-wide elections did not wholly meet international standards, international observers believed that Kiir’s election reflected the popular will of a large majority of Southern Sudan. International observers considered the January 2011 referendum on Read the full article…