The United Nations Thursday accused both government and rebel forces in South Sudan of committing crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and other sexual violence, during almost five months of fighting that has left thousands of people dead. "The consequences for the civilian population have been devastating," the U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a human rights report. "There have been attacks on hospitals, churches, mosques, and United Nations bases." The report called for further investigations after finding reasonable grounds to believe both parties in the conflict had violated international human rights and humanitarian law. Violence erupted in South Sudan in December, between troops backing President Salva Kiir and soldiers loyal to his sacked deputy, Riek Machar. The fighting has exacerbated ethnic tensions between Kiir's Dinka tribe and Machar's Nuer tribe, and the United Nations has warned that it risks spiraling into genocide.
