War crimes in Sudan

The Guardian reports: UN investigators say they have identified more than 40 South Sudanese military officers who may be responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Their findings are a sharp departure from previous UN reports that documented crimes but not perpetrators.

Oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from neighbouring Sudan in 2011, but slid into civil war in December 2013. More than 4 million people, a third of the population, have been displaced by violence.

The investigators, from the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, say their findings are based on interviews with hundreds of witnesses, satellite imagery and nearly 60,000 documents dating back to the outbreak of the war.

Their report, released on Friday, makes the case for “individual command responsibility for widespread or systematic attacks on civilians” by senior military officers, including eight lieutenant generals, and by three state governors.

Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan

Human Rights Watch has a report on South Sudan, here.