Top UN human rights official to visit South Sudan

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 13, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, will visit South Sudan from 14 to 17 January 2014 to undertake an assessment of the human rights situation in the country and the impact of recent fighting, and to identify areas for improvement in the situation of the affected civilian population.

During his four-day mission, Šimonović will meet in Juba with senior government and UN officials, the national human rights commission, the diplomatic community and a wide range of civil society actors including traditional /community leaders. In Juba he will also meet with displaced people, victims and detainees. He also plans to travel to Malakal, Bentiu and/or Bor, a town some 200 kilometres north of the capital Juba and the site of recent heavy fighting.

In a recent statement the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed grave concern over the severe human rights violations taking place daily in South Sudan during the past four weeks.

The High Commissioner, as well as other UN officials and human rights experts, also expressed serious concern about the safety of those who have been arrested, including hundreds of civilians who were reportedly detained during house-to-house searches and are being held in unidentified locations.