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Major global effort crucial to end South Sudan carnage

South Sudanese people walk into a UN camp in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Dec 22, 2013/XINHUA-File

South Sudanese people walk into a UN camp in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Dec 22, 2013/XINHUA-File

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 23 – As ethnic massacres in South Sudan spiral out of control and politicians lose their grip on rampaging militias, only a concerted international effort stands any chance of ending the four-month-old civil war, analysts say.

The past week has been described by a senior UN official as the “most bleak” in South Sudan’s short history, with pro-government gunmen storming a UN base in an attempt to kill thousands of terrified civilians and rebels accused of conducting massacres in churches, mosques and hospitals.

According to the UN’s top official in the war-torn nation, Toby Lanzer, the country has now descended into “a cycle of revenge” – barely three years after the fanfare that accompanied its independence from Khartoum.

For John Prendergast, co-founder of the anti-genocide Enough Project, only a “high profile initiative of the international community” including the United States – which was instrumental in helping South Sudan separate from Khartoum – stands any chance of preventing a protracted conflict and more atrocities.

“If it’s a low-key, under-the-radar begging operation, these parties are just going to laugh at it,” he said.

“If you have a very serious, high level engagement that has senior representation in key countries with some level of past and present influence, that brings to bear that kind of pressure, then you’ve got a chance,” said Prendergast, a former Africa director for the National Security Council during Bill Clinton’s presidency.

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