The UN continues to backtrack from claims earlier this week of a “mass grave” found in South Sudan. Initially reported to contain 75 bodies, it was downgraded to 34 bodies yesterday and has now been retracted outright.
The UN Mission now says the claims were related to a “skirmish” where 15 people were believed to be killed. The 75 initially reported to be in the non-existent grave are now reported as “feared missing.”
Despite retracting the claim, the UN continues to insist it is “deeply concerned” about claims of mass extra-judicial executions and is “investigating” those allegations.
So far unmentioned is if the UN’s claim of a death toll dramatically higher than reported is intact. Claims of 500 killed in a week of fighting were declared to be “thousands” in a recent comment, a claim made as the Security Council was debating a massive increase in UN troops in the country.
