The United Nations (UN) Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) confirmed Wednsday that 468 civilians were killed and 328 others injured in armed clashes during the first quarter of this year in the country, noting an increase in violent incidents. The UN mission explained, in a statement, that the number of violent incidents increased by 24% between January and March compared to the same period last year, pointing out that the remote State of Warab, located in the northwest of the country, was the most affected. In statements, Nicholas Haysom, the UN envoy to South Sudan, stressed the urgent necessity of collective action by local authorities, community leaders and politicians to resolve long-standing grievances through peaceful means, especially with the first elections in South Sudan approaching. The first elections in South Sudan are scheduled to be held on December 22, after they were postponed several times, and about 13 years after its independence in 2011. The world's youngest country is still suffering f rom instability and widespread violence, which hinders its recovery from the war that led to the deaths of about 400,000 people and the displacement of a million between 2013 and 2018. Source: Qatar News Agency