3 February 2015 - Peace and justice must reinforce each other to break the cycle of impunity and human rights violations in South Sudan, the UN human rights chief said today in the Unity State capital Bentiu.

Rather than following it, justice was needed for sustainable peace, stressed Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic. “The time of dilemmas for peace or justice has long gone.”

Mr. Simonovic, who was in Bentiu a year ago, was visiting the town again during a six-day trip to South Sudan, which began in Juba on 1 February.

“I was hoping that what I would see would reflect an improvement,” he said. “But … what I am seeing is the number of people we are protecting in Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites is even higher than it was a year ago.”

The Assistant Secretary-General met displaced women’s representatives living at the Bentiu PoC site, who recounted human rights violations they had endured since the conflict began.

“What I am hearing from all these women is the violations they have been subjected to and the difficulties they are facing in the camp,” the human rights chief said. “None of that is possible to end without peace. So leaders should listen to their people”.

The ASG also visited Bentiu Hospital, where human rights atrocities were committed during the conflict. He expressed dismay that a public service facility could be turned into place of torture and killings.

“This is absolutely intolerable,” he said. “It is not simply forgotten. Perpetrators of such atrocities should be brought to account.”

Mr. Simonovic also held discussions with Unity Acting Governor Wal Yack Gatkuoth in Bentiu and traveled to Nhialdiu, where he met representatives of the opposition forces.