Baz Ratner/Reuters
According to a U.N. report released Thursday, South Sudan’s armed opposition abducted women and girls as young as 12 for commanders to take as “wives.” Those not chosen were raped and abused by other fighters, the report says. It estimates 900 people were abducted and 24,000 displaced as the war exploded between April and August. “Most of the abducted civilians are, as far as we know, still being held captive,” said Michelle Bachelet, the U.N.’s human-rights chief. One survivor said she was “tied to a tree and raped by two fighters until she passed out due to pain and bleeding. When she regained consciousness, she was threatened with rape again.” An opposition spokesman, Lam Paul Gabriel, told the Associated Press: “Our duty as a movement is to protect civilians and their properties at all times.” He claimed the opposition was being blamed for the actions of others but said they would investigate the allegations. Human Rights Watch has called for the immediate establishment of a hybrid court in South Sudan to prosecute abuses.