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100,000 civilians trapped in besieged South Sudan town

More than 30,000 people fled into Yei, southwest of capital Juba, following deadly attacks on civilians

30.09.2016 - Update : 03.10.2016
100,000 civilians trapped in besieged South Sudan town FILE PHOTO

Ankara

By Parach Mach

JUBA, South Sudan 

The United Nations on Friday said about 100,000 people were trapped and facing an increasingly dire situation in the besieged South Sudanese town of Yei after fleeing violence that included targeted killings and mutilations.

More than 30,000 people have fled into Yei about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of the capital, Juba following deadly attacks on civilians and looting of property earlier this month. They joined several thousand displaced people who had arrived since mid-July, and as many as 60,000 town residents, the United Nations refugee agency said in a statement.

“The government forces are surrounding the town and they are restricting access into the town and also preventing people from leaving, presumably because they suspect them of siding with opposition forces," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva, according to the statement.

The organization said terrorized men and women spoke of horrific violence against civilians before and during their flight, pointing to killings, mutilations and the looting and burning of property, the refugee agency added.

South Sudan has been consumed by violence that began in late 2013 and has left tens of thousands of people dead and forced about 2.4 million from their homes.

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