South Sudan’s fighting broke out last month after President Salva Kiir accused his former vice president of attempting a coup. Speaking in the capital of Juba, U.N. special envoy Hilde Johnson said both sides have committed atrocities.

Hilde Johnson: “We have seen terrible acts of violence in the past two weeks. There has been killings and brutality, grave human rights violations and atrocities committed. We are seeing evidence of apparent ethnic or targeting of South Sudanese citizens on ethnic grounds. This can lead to a perpetual cycle of violence that can destroy the fabric of the new nation. We need to do everything possible to prevent such a cycle of violence between the communities of South Sudan.”