UN condemns bombing in South Sudan

May 12, 2012: Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday said that she was outraged by Sudan's "indiscriminate" aerial bombing of South Sudan and warned that attacks that hurt civilians could be considered international crimes.

The U.N.'s top human rights official condemned the attacks by Khartoum during a visit this week to newly-independent South Sudan. “I am saddened and outraged to learn that such attacks, which place civilians at great risk and have already killed and injured some and have caused many thousands of others to flee, have been taking place in recent days,” she said.

Despite the continuing alleged bombings, South Sudan's government has said it is ready to restart negotiations at "any time" with its neighbour Sudan to try to resolve their outstanding oil, security and frontier disputes. But Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said there can be no such talks unless the sides settle security issues.

In a statement issued last day of her five-day visit to the country, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the young nation, which gained independence from Sudan last year following a referendum, must strive to put a legal framework in place that recognizes and protects the human rights of all its citizens.

During her visit – aimed at helping the development of the country’s long-term human rights infrastructure such as laws, institutions and practices – Ms. Pillay held meetings with President Salva Kiir and other Government officials, as well as representatives from civil society organizations and the peacekeeping operation known as the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).