The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and international partners have called for an immediate end to the mounting violence in the Greater Pibor area by armed youths from Jonglei.

According to reports, no fewer than 57 have died since Sunday, with more than a dozen injured.

UNMISS and other partners issued a statement on Wednesday, lamenting that they were “gravely concerned about the escalating ongoing violence, loss of life and reports of alleged use of heavy weaponry.”

Other partners include the African Union mission, the regional bloc IGAD, the so-called Troika (United States, United Kingdom, and Norway), the European Union, and the body overseeing the peace agreement signed by the warring parties in South Sudan (R-JMEC).

News reports quoting a local official said youths from the Nuer community had attacked members of the Murle ethnic group in Greater Pibor. The fighting began when armed youths attacked the village of Lanam, according to Greater Pibor’s information minister.

He told news outlets that members of both groups suffered fatalities, with 17 Murle community members among those injured. The information minister for Jonglei also reportedly condemned the fighting and called on young fighters from the state to immediately end the violence and return home.

According to news reports, both senior local officials called for central Government intervention to end the violence.

The world’s youngest country has been mired in violence which escalated not long after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, between Government forces led by President Salva Kiir and fighters loyal to his rival Riek Machar.

The statement from the UN and partners urged combatants and supporters “to immediately cease hostilities, exercise restraint and respect human rights.”

They called on South Sudanese leaders “to urgently intervene to stop the fighting and ensure the safety and security of civilians as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to people affected by the fighting.”

They emphasised the need to investigate and hold all perpetrators of violence accountable, “including those who are instigating and inciting violence and those responsible for the abduction of women and children.”

The statement also strongly encouraged national politicians and traditional leaders to persuade young fighters to stop the violence and pursue “a dialogue-based approach that focuses on restoring calm and peacefully resolving the root causes of the conflict.”

(NAN)