UN ‘gravely concerned’ about the recent wave of extrajudicial killings.
NCMP
July 26, 2021
The director of the United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has expressed “grave worry” over the country’s “spread of extrajudicial killings.”
Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-special general’s envoy and director of UNMISS, said on Monday that 42 executions of individuals suspected of criminal conduct but denied a fair trial had been recorded in two nations.
According to reports, the victims were taken from jail or police custody and hauled before local authorities for “sentencing.”
According to UNMISS, eyewitness accounts indicate some individuals were brought to isolated locations, chained to trees, and killed by a firing squad.
Their corpses were allegedly placed on trees in some cases as a warning to the community.
Mr. Haysom described the murders as “very distressing,” adding that “individuals charged with crimes have a right to a fair trial as part of a legitimate legal procedure.”
Additionally, he said, “Extra-judicial murders are not the answer to restoring law and order; instead, we must concentrate on developing strong, well-developed local justice systems capable of resolving criminal matters fairly and justly.”
He asked South Sudanese authorities to conduct an investigation and bring those responsible for the killings to justice.
South Sudanese officials have made no response to the accusations so far.
