16 January 2014 - The United Nations would protect the human rights of all South Sudanese people, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation, a senior UN official said in the Jonglei State capital Bor today.

Speaking at the end of a one-day visit to the town, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonovic said the UN would also continue to support efforts to end the conflict which has left thousands of citizens displaced.

“When you go to Bor or Bentiu (and) see prosperous places that are now ghost towns, when you see unburied bodies, you see the price of ethnic conflict,” he said. “Our efforts are necessary to end this conflict and to prevent ethnic retaliation.”

A drive through Bor revealed a majorly deserted town with many unburied bodies, similar to scenes in the Unity State capital Bentiu which Mr. Šimonovic visited yesterday.

“The situation that I have seen in Bentiu is an illustration of the horrors of such a situation,” he said. “It was appalling to see corpses on the streets that were not removed five days after people were killed because of fear of their relatives.

”Accompanied by senior officials from the UN Human Rights office in New York, Geneva and UNMISS, Mr. Šimonovic said his four-day visit to the country was prompted by concerns about developments that have led to human rights violations and killing of innocent civilians.

“We will conduct human rights investigations and we will be publicly reporting on the sad events,” he said. “Right now, we are protecting displaced persons and we are trying to provide them with the best care we can.”

During a meeting with representatives of civilians seeking refuge at the UNMISS base in Bor, UN officials listened to concerns about humanitarian challenges, unburied people on streets and fears of tribal violence.

“The UN is here to protect you, no matter who has military control over Bor,” Mr. Šimonovic said. “We are equally obliged to protect every civilian regardless of origin or ethnicity.”

There are currently about 9,000 civilians seeking refuge in the mission’s base in Bor, according to UNMISS Jonglei State Coordinator Kenneth Payumo.

He noted however that the UN and other humanitarian partners were facing challenges in providing humanitarian assistance like water, food, shelter and health care.

“We have been able to treat hundreds of people who were wounded or suffering from other illnesses,” he said. “However, we are running low on supplies and continued insecurity is hindering access to re-supplying essential items.”