S.Sudan troops suffocated 50 people in container

South Sudan government troops killed some 50 people by stuffing them into a shipping container in baking heat, ceasefire monitors have said in a report noting the latest atrocities in two years of war.

Despite an August peace deal, fighting continues, and the conflict now involves multiple militia forces who pay little heed to paper peace deals, driven by local agendas or revenge attacks.

The report, by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), was submitted to the African Union (AU) summit and made public late Sunday.

The atrocity, titled "concerning the killing of civilians in Unity State", was one of several listed as examples of ceasefire violations carried out by forces on both sides.

"About 50 people suffocated in a container on about 22 October. The investigation was protracted. Attribution of responsibility: Government Forces," the report read.

In South Sudan, metal containers are often used as makeshift prison cells. Temperatures in the northern battleground state of Unity regularly top 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).

Other crimes listed include rape and murder, and the capture and looting of UN river barges.

There was no immediate response from South Sudan's army, but spokesmen have rejected a long list of previous reports detailing accusations of atrocities.