GENEVA:South Sudan's military likely holds some responsibility for the rape of more than 100 women and girls late last year in the northern city of Bentiu, a UN-backed report said Wednesday.
In early December, three United Nations agencies reported that more than 150 women and girls had come forward over 12 days to seek help after they were raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence. The perpetrators were reportedly armed and some wore uniforms but were not identified immediately following the attacks.
In its latest report, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said there was evidence indicating the Sudanese People´s Liberation Army (SPLA) was to blame. "Collected evidence seems to suggest that the perpetrators of rapes in the Bentiu area are men who have the opportunity to come and go at ease within SPLA," the report said. It identified the possible culprits "as armed youth engaged in criminal activities, as well as current or former members of SPLA."