UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] said Monday that he has deployed a mission [press release] to South Sudan after reports surfaced of human rights abuses by both sides. The 10-member team began its work last week and “will examine violations of international human rights law and of international humanitarian law committed by actors on both sides of the political divide.” The team will make recommendation to improve human rights and ensure accountability for violations. Their report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council [official website] in March.

The South Sudan Civil War [JURIST backgrounder] has persisted since December 2013 when President Salva Kiir Mayardit [BBC profile] accused his ex-vice-president, Riek Machar, of plotting to overthrow him. Earlier this month the UN Security Council extended [JURIST report] the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan by two months until December 15. In May Amnesty International [advocacy website] reported that South Sudan government troops were committing human rights abuses [JURIST report], such as abusing civilians and lighting villages on fire amid ongoing fighting in the region. Earlier this year Human Rights Watch reported that both parties in the conflict are recruiting children [JURIST report], with close to 600 child soldiers being used since the beginning of the conflict. The ongoing South Sudanese conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of lives lost and more than two million displaced.