The United States is alarmed by the violence in South Sudan, where ethnically motivated hate speech, the targeting of civilians and sexual violence is becoming widespread and cannot be ignored, the State Department said on Monday. "The United States is alarmed by the violence in the Equatoria region of South Sudan and concerned it could quickly spiral out of control," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. The United States has confirmed that more than 1,900 houses have been destroyed in the Central Equatoria of South Sudan since September, he said in a statement. The statement urged the international community to impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions to help deter the violence in the world's newest state. The State Department also urged the creation of a special court for South Sudan.

Source: The Star December 05, 2016 19:52 UTC