[JURIST] The UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday urged [press release] those involved on all sides of the South Sudan conflict to end their fighting and make peace in the interest of protecting innocent civilians. Stephen O’Brien’s statements came at the end of a four day trip to South Sudan earlier this month. O’Brien stated that he was “deeply shocked” by what he saw there, going on to say that innocent civilians were bearing the brunt of the country’s war. He went on to describe the atrocities suffered by many within the country, which he says include killing, abduction, the recruitment of children into armed groups, the rape and burning of women and the loss of homes by entire communities. The humanitarian chief also called on the international community to respond quickly to the humanitarian needs of the country in order to “avert an even greater humanitarian tragedy.”

The South Sudanese Civil War [JURIST backgrounder; BBC report] has persisted since December 2013 when President Salva Kiir Mayardit accused his ex-vice-president, Riek Machar [Al Jazeera profile], of plotting to overthrow him. In May Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] that South Sudan government troops were committing human rights abuses, such as abusing civilians and lighting villages on fire amid ongoing fighting in the region. In March, South Sudan’s National Legislative Assembly [official website] voted to extend Kiir’s term by three years following the cancellation of elections that were to be held in June, and the dissolution of negotiations to end the country’s internal conflict. Earlier in March UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] urged [JURIST report] Kiir and Machar to end the hostilities and comply with international law to avoid sanctions. In late February UNICEF condemned [JURIST report] the abduction of young boys by an armed group in South Sudan. In early February 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. Earlier in February the UN reported continued rights violations [JURIST report] just when the groups were on the brink of signing a peace deal. In January the UN reported attacks [JURIST report] on civilians based on ethnicity and political beliefs in Sudan that amounted to several war crimes.