UN: South Sudan’s Fighting Was Government Ordered

Juba, South Sudan (ap) — A confidential U.N. report says South Sudan’s deadly fighting in July was directed by the highest levels of government, and that leaders are intent on a military solution that has escalated the conflict from a “primarily political to tribal war.”

The U.N. panel of experts report obtained by The Associated Press says President Salva Kiir and army chief of staff Paul Malong directed the fighting in the capital, Juba, that killed hundreds, using MI-24 helicopters that only they had the authority to deploy. It cites “numerous reports” from South Sudanese senior military personnel and politicians.

The report also says Kiir and Malong have focused on procuring new weapons and ammunition, including the apparent acquisition of two fighter jets. Two truckloads of ammunition were transferred from neighboring Uganda in June. There is no sign of significant arms procurement by the opposition in recent months, the report says.

South Sudan’s civilians are “bearing the brunt of the resulting harm” as weapons continue to be procured, the report says. “By the government’s own account, the vast majority of government revenue … has funded security expenses and the war effort, including the procurement of weapons, rather than social services.”

The U.N. Security Council has threatened to impose an arms embargo if South Sudan’s government doesn’t comply with a plan to deploy an extra 4,000 peacekeepers to protect civilians.