UN says genocide looms in South Sudan

By Parach Mach

JUBA, South Sudan

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation torn apart by three years of civil war, risks spiraling into genocide if violence continues, said the UN special advisor on the prevention of genocide on Friday.

“There is a strong risk of violence escalating along ethnic lines, with the potential for genocide," Adam Dieng told reporters on Friday after a five-day visit to the country.

He added that civilians in South Sudan were being targeted and killed along ethnic lines with the help of the media.

The media, including social media, are being used to spread hatred and encourage ethnic polarization, he said.

South Sudan plunged into chaos in 2013 when president Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced more than 1 million to flee to neighboring nations.

A coalition government that sought to end three years old civil war was thrown into turmoil when fresh fighting broke out in July between government troops and ex-rebels forcing Machar to flee.