At least 129 children were killed, with boys castrated and girls raped, during a government offensive against rebels last month in South Sudan, according to the UN children’s agency.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement Wednesday that survivors reported that boys were castrated and left to bleed out, while girls were raped and killed, AP reported.
Other children were thrown into burning buildings, he said, adding that the killings took place over three weeks in May in Unity state.
“In the name of humanity and common decency this violence against the innocent must stop,” Lake said.
Leila Zerrougui, the UN special representative for children in armed conflict, told the UN Security Council on Thursday, “In one instance, young boys who did not manage to escape an attack on their village were reportedly tied together with one pole and their throats were slit.
“These heinous crimes fly in the face of numerous commitments by all parties in South Sudan to stop violations against children.”
