UK lawmakers urge British government to end South Sudan crisis

British lawmakers have appealed to the UK government to take urgent action to help end the crisis in South Sudan.

The lawmakers in an open letter gave an account of the horrendous acts taking place in the world’s youngest nation, including sexual violence, killing and castration of men and boys and women with babies drowning as they try to hide from the militias.

“All sides … have been complicit in the killing or castration of men and boys,” wrote Stephen Twigg, chair of the International Development Committee, a parliamentary watchdog.

“These are horrendous acts of violence added to a litany of other sexual and gender based violence, already endemic in South Sudan.”

South Sudan plunged into violence in December 2013 following President Salva Kiir’s claims that his then deputy Riek Machar was plotting to overthrow his government. Machar refuted the accusations but went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.

A peace deal that was signed last year has continually been violated by both sides as violence continues to rock the young nation.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fears that genocide is about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action was taken.