The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan says there will be no second chances for any UN staff found guilty of committing sexual crimes.
The world body has reinforced its commitment to protect civilians and build a durable peace in the world’s youngest nation.
The Mission is carrying out training of all personnel to ensure that they know and uphold the highest standard of conduct in their duties.
The campaign is geared towards putting victims’ rights at the center of investigations and reporting.
The UN has also established a live misconduct database, which allows all UN missions to share information.
South Sudan has been marred by conflict since December 2015, following President Salva Kiir’s accusations that his then-deputy Riek Machar was plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others.
The UN earlier this year ranked South Sudan as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, coming third worldwide after Syria and Afghanistan.
A peace deal signed in 2015 has continuously been violated by the warring factions as peace remains elusive.
The UN and the international community are pushing for dialogue to resolve the conflict, and is hoping the country can return to peace in time for an election next year.
