Rebels killed hundreds of civilians in S Sudan: UN

The United Nations has accused rebels in South Sudan of killing hundreds of civilians in the oil-rich state of Unity last week.

The UN mission in South Sudan said on Monday that more than 200 civilians were killed in a mosque alone, when the rebel forces captured the oil-town of Bentiu.

According to the UN, many civilians were also killed at a church, a hospital and an abandoned UN compound in Bentiu.

In a statement released on Monday, the UNMISS stated that it “strongly condemns the targeted killings of civilians based on their ethnic origins and nationality in Bentiu.”

This is the second time the rebels have taken control of the oil-rich state. Back in December 2013, they seized Bentiu, but were chased out a month later.

Fighting in South Sudan has intensified recently as rebels loyal to sacked vice president, Riek Machar, have launched a renewed offensive targeting key oil fields in the country.

On Thursday, rebels also attacked a United Nations base in the town of Bor, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 100 others.

The UN Security Council condemned the attack on the camp as an “outrage” that may “constitute a war crime.”

The fighting between troops of South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group, and Machar, a Nuer, erupted around the capital Juba on December 15 last year.

The armed conflict has claimed thousands of lives and forced over a million to flee their homes over the past months.

The fighting comes despite a ceasefire signed on January 23 to end weeks of violence in South Sudan which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in the world’s youngest nation.