United States and United Nations representatives warned in separate meetings Wednesday of escalated tension and potential violence in South Sudan.
“We have credible information that the South Sudanese government is currently targeting civilians in Central Equatoria and preparing for large-scale attacks in the coming days or weeks,” Keith Harper, the U.S. representative at the U.N. Human Rights Council, said in Geneva.
The claim was quickly rejected by his South Sudanese counterpart, and South Sudan ambassador Kuol Alor Kuol Arop denied any build-up of forces or plans for an offensive in an interview with the Associated Press.
“We are raising the alarm. We are calling on the government of South Sudan not to move forward with the offensive they have planned,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power told VOA in New York.
In Juba on Wednesday, U.N. human rights experts warned of “unprecedented” levels of violence and ethnic tension across the war-torn country.
“Many expect intensified fighting now that the dry season is setting in,” said Yasmin Sooka of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, following a fact-finding mission.
