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June 5, 2009

UN Rights Official Urges Response to South Sudan Tribal Violence
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Series of clashes this year between the Nuer and Murle ethnic groups
have left over 700 people dead, according to most estimates 
The United Nations' special representative on human rights in Sudan has
completed an 11-day visit to the country. Among other issues, she raised
particular concern with the recent wave of tribal violence in the
country's south, urging the semi-autonomous southern government to
increase its response. Speaking in Khartoum at the end of her visit to
Sudan, Sima Samar gave particular weight to challenges facing the
country's semi-autonomous south. "I think all the situation of human
rights, the basic rights of the people to life which is affected
unfortunately by the tribal clashes and also by the attacks of the LRA
and also basic social services is not really very good," she said. She
called on the government of southern Sudan to do more to address the
clashes between ethnic groups that have killed hundreds of people this
year. Her appeal follows a statement from the U.N. earlier this week
that tribal violence in the south has claimed more lives in recent
months than the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region, which has
diminished in intensity in recent years. Southern Sudanese policemen
ride in a truck during celebrations in Juba, 26 May 2009Tribal violence,
much of it related to cattle-raiding has long been common in Southern
Sudan. But Samar says the scale of the violence this year is unusually
high, echoing a view expressed last month by south Sudan's president,
Salva Kiir. Samar also noted that the latest wave of clashes has seen
more targeting of women and children than in the past. Sarah Preston,
Sudan project coordinator for the organization Safer World, says lack of
data makes it difficult to assess whether the scale of violence has
indeed been greater than in previous years, but agrees that the
character of the attacks have changed."What has been particularly
alarming about some of the violence that took place this year was the
targeting of women and children and civilians in some of the violence,
whereas previously many of the clashes were between armed youth and
soldiers who are normally associat
ed with cattle raiding as well as the warrior groups," she said. Samar
urged the southern government to increase its troop presence in areas
like Jonglei State, where a series of clashes this year between the Nuer
and Murle ethnic groups have left over 700 people dead, according to
most estimates. Samar says those responsible for the violence should
face justice. Last month, southern Sudan's president announced an
ambitious campaign to disarm civilians throughout southern Sudan. But
Preston, whose organization recently studied a similar effort last year,
says civilian disarmament may not be the best approach."Until
fundamental issues relating to the government's own security provision
to civilians begin to be addressed as well as south-south
peace-building, disarmament has the potential to be very divisive and
actually to make tensions worse because people are unwilling to give up
their weapons or are fearful of giving up their weapons if they feel
that there isn't other means to defend themselves," she said. Preston
says the southern security efforts continue to be oriented towards the
conflict with the north, preventing more attention to security threats
within the south. North and south Sudan fought a two-decade civil war
that came to an end with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement in 2005. But with the approach of the biggest hurdles involved
in that agreement, including national elections scheduled for next year
and a referendum on southern independence in 2011, a return to violence
is a growing concern. Samar also highlighted continued human rights
challenges in Darfur, where she said humanitarian organizations
currently on the ground do not have the capacity to fill the gap left by
the expulsion of thirteen international NGOs earlier this year,
following the approval of an arrest warrant for Sudan's president by the
International Criminal Court. Samar also raised concerns with press
censorship and restrictions on political speech, saying freedom of
expression is necessary if the country hopes to
 hold fair elections next year. Samar will make a presentation to the
UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 16.