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WORLD NEWS Saturday 24 February 2018

Gang rapes and beheadings: UN reveals new South Sudan abuses

By SAM MEDNICK sented to the U.N. Human
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Rights Council in Geneva
The witness accounts re- next month. They also will
main appalling. One South be made available to ju-
Sudanese man returned dicial mechanisms such as
home after hiding from a hybrid court for South Su-
government soldiers to find dan, which long has been
they had blinded his moth- urged by the international
er, gouging out her eyes community but has never
with spears. appeared. Untold tens of
She had tried to defend thousands have been killed
her 17-year-old daughter in South Sudan since the
from being raped by more conflict erupted in Decem-
than a dozen soldiers and ber 2013, just two years af-
didn't succeed. Seventeen ter independence from Su-
soldiers then raped her. The dan. More than two million
family's father was behead- people have fled the coun-
ed. The latest report on hu- try, the largest refugee crisis
man rights abuses in South since the Rwandan geno-
Sudan's five-year civil war, cide 24 years ago. Millions
released on Friday by a who remain at home face
United Nations commission, hunger. The new U.N. re-
includes that horrific day in port is an account of the
Pagak town and many oth- South Sudanese soldiers accused of gang-raping five foreigners, murdering a local journalist and gang-rapes, castrations,
looting a hotel, are led to their prison van after attending a hearing of their trial in the capital Juba,
ers as the team collects evi- South Sudan. ethnic violence and other
dence in the hopes of one (AP Photo/Bullen Chol) abuses that have left much
day finding justice. of the impoverished East
"I did not expect to be have imagined," Andrew her 12-year-old son was ernment forces and rebels, African nation in despair,
confronted with so much Clapham, a commission forced to have sex with his identify more than 40 senior while international frustra-
ritual humiliation and deg- member and international grandmother to stay alive, military officials, including tion with the warring sides
radation deliberately done law professor, told The As- the report says. three state governors, "who grows. The talks reached
for multiple reasons. The sociated Press. The findings, with "sufficient may bear individual re- a stalemate last week but
suffering and cruelty was One South Sudanese wom- evidence" against both sponsibility for war crimes." are expected to pick up
worse than anyone could an told the commission that President Salva Kiir's gov- The report will be pre- again next month.q

Seychelles swaps debt for groundbreaking marine protection

By A KALAKOUTI es for millions of years. The ploration; the rest will be World Bank. Today the “If you protect everywhere,
CURIEUSE ISLAND, Sey- Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO restricted to sustainable debt stands at less than where (will) we go fishing?”
chelles (AP) — With deep World Heritage Site, is practices. The plan will be half of that, according to Elvis Simon Dingwall said.
blue waters, white sand home to the world's largest completed by 2021. the finance ministry. He echoed others who said
beaches and rich marine population of giant tortois- "A great honor and privi- The deal allows for a cer- they have to bear the brunt
life, the tiny island nation of es, critically endangered lege," the country's environ- tain amount of money to of the government’s past
the Seychelles is announc- sea cows and spawning ment minister, Didier Dog- be repaid into a trust fund economic failures.
ing a pioneering marine grounds for a number of ley, said at the signing. to support conservation- The head of the Seychelles’
conservation plan as part rare species. But overfishing The deal with the country's related projects, organizers state-owned oil and gas
of a debt swap deal with has hurt. creditors was brokered by said. exploration entity, Patrick
creditors. The government on U.S.-based The Nature Con- While welcoming the deal, Joseph, said Petro Sey-
In an agreement described Wednesday signed a bill servancy and involved a $1 the CEO of the Seychelles chelles initially was resistant
as the first of its kind, the In- restricting nearly all hu- million grant by the foun- National Parks Authority to the plan but now is cau-
dian Ocean nation popular man activity in the waters dation of actor Leonardo warned that certain threats tiously optimistic.
with tourists is designating around Aldabra and over- DiCaprio. to the Seychelles remain “Provided this is done prop-
nearly a third of its waters all setting aside more than At the height of its debt beyond control. "Like cli- erly, we choose the right
as protected areas, aiming 210,000 square kilometers crisis in the late 2000s, the mate, for example," Flavien companies and we do a
to ensure the longevity of its (81,081 sq. miles) as pro- Seychelles was one of the Joubert said. proper impact assessment
unique biodiversity. tected areas. The areas world's top debt-ridden The new agreement has before we drill, I feel like
The archipelago's 115 is- around Aldabra will ban countries. Its sovereign worried some who say their the country will definitely
lands have been isolated all extractive uses such as debt peaked at nearly $1 livelihoods will be severely benefit from oil and gas re-
by continental land mass- fishing and petroleum ex- billion, according to the restricted. sources,” Joseph said. q