UN: Human rights report a 'prerequisite' for peace

The United Nations is very concerned that an African Union report on human rights violations in South Sudan since violence erupted more than a year ago won't be discussed at this month's AU summit, a senior UN official said on Monday.

Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic told reporters the UN expected the report of the Commission of Inquiry to be taken up at the Jan 23-31 summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then released publicly.

"We are hearing that it may not be the case, and it's a very disturbing development because we firmly think that public reporting on human rights violations in South Sudan is a prerequisite to reach some sort of sustainable peace - not peace that would be just a cease-fire agreement and patching up - but addressing root issues," he said.