'Risk of mass violence against civilians' in S.Sudan: UN experts

The situation in South Sudan is heightening "the risk of mass violence against civilians", independent UN experts warned on Sunday as fresh conflict and violent rhetoric grips the country.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan in a statement expressed "grave alarm" at fighting in Jonglei state north of the capital Juba, where witnesses have described civilians fleeing into swamps.

South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang later on Sunday told Jonglei residents to "immediately evacuate" areas controlled by the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and move to "government controlled areas as soon as possible".

Civilians "would be considered as legitimate military targets", the spokesperson added.

The world's youngest country has been beset by war, poverty and massive corruption since it was formed in 2011, with violence once again on the rise between rival factions.

A power-sharing agreement between the two main sides is all but dead after President Salva Kiir moved against his vice-president and long-time rival, Riek Machar, who was arrested last March and is now on trial for "crimes against humanity".

Their forces have fought several times over the past year, but the most sustained clashes began in late December in Jonglei.

Public statements by commanders encouraging violence against civilians, along with troop mobilisation, "represent a dangerous escalation at a moment when the political foundations of the peace process are already severely weakened", the UN commission said.

Army chief Paul Nang Majok on Wednesday ordered troops deployed in the region to "crush the rebellion" within seven days.

Local media have also quoted a senior army official as saying "no one should be spared, not even the elderly".

The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it was "gravely concerned" about the public declarations.

"Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now," said UNMISS head Graham Maitland.

Renewed fighting in South Sudan has displaced more than 180,000 people, according to the country's authorities.

Kiir and Machar fought a five-year war shortly after independence that claimed 400,000 lives. A 2018 power-sharing deal kept the peace for some years but plans to hold elections and merge their armies did not materialise.