South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (L), South Sudan's opposition leader Riek Machar (R) and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (C)"Hemeti", Sudan's deputy head of the Transitional Military Council, hold hands together as they speak to the media after their peace talk at the State House in Juba, South Sudan. AFP
The UN documented 1,854 killings, 1,693 injuries, 423 abductions and 169 cases of sexual violence from January to September -- a 59-per cent jump from last year, adding that limited access means the real toll is likely higher.
"This is unconscionable and must stop," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement.
He said fears were "intensifying" that a 2018 peace deal, which ended a brutal five-year civil war in South Sudan, was about to collapse and send the country back to "all-out fighting".
"I deeply worry for the plight of civilians in South Sudan," Turk said, calling on the country's leaders and international community "to do everything in their power to pull South Sudan from the brink".
Fighting has escalated sharply since March, with the army carrying out "indiscriminate" airstrikes in populated areas of Upper Nile, Jonglei, Unity, Central Equatoria and Warrap states, the statement said.
Homes, schools and clinics have been destroyed, displacing thousands, it added.
Communal bloodshed has also spiked, with inter-clan and ethnic clashes in Warrap and Jonglei states driving a 33-per cent rise in civilian deaths. The UN reported at least 45 extrajudicial killings by security forces this year.
Turk also pressed Juba to ensure due process in the trial of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, who faces charges including treason and crimes against humanity over a March attack on a military base.
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