http://youtu.be/hAST4P3Z7Sg

South Sudanese rebels allied to former Vice President Riek Machar who seized the city of Bentiu last week killed hundreds of civilians seeking shelter there, after determining their ethnicity or nationality, the United Nations said.

“These atrocities must be fully investigated and the perpetrators and their commanders shall be held accountable,” Raisedon Zenenga, the officer in charge of the UN mission in South Sudan, said in a statement on its website late on Tuesday.

Reuters reported last week that the Rebel forces had gained control of Bentiu, the capital of oil-rich Unity state, after clashes with government forces.

The conflict in the world’s newest state, between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Machar, erupted in December and has left thousands of people dead and driven a million from their homes, according to the UN. As many as 7 million people are at risk of severe food insecurity in the coming year unless they get more help, development charity Oxfam said today in an e-mailed statement.