This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
South Sudan has witnessed a surge in violence, with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reporting that at least 104 people had been killed in attacks on villages in Central Equatoria since a peace deal was signed in September.
According to the UNMISS, civilians had been 'deliberately and brutally targeted' in the region, with hundreds of women and girls raped or suffering other forms of sexual violence between September and April.
Many of the victims were taken captive by armed groups and forced into servitude as 'wives', the UNMISS reported.
The violence has led to the displacement of over 56,000 civilians within South Sudan, while another 20,000 have crossed the border into Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Sudan descended into war in 2013, with President Salva Kiir accusing his former deputy and fellow former rebel leader Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
The conflict has been marked by ethnic violence and brutal atrocities, leaving about 380,000 dead and four million displaced.
While the UNMISS reported a 'significant decrease' in violence across the country since Kiir and Machar signed the peace deal, Central Equatoria has been an exception, with attacks against civilians continuing in areas surrounding Yei.
