File photo shows refugees from South Sudan wait to be settled outside the Khour Al-Waral refugee camp in Al-Salam locality, some 69-kilometers south of Rebek, capital of White Nile State, Sudan, May 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Mohamed Babiker)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The AU on Wednesday issued a statement condemning sexual violence against women and girls in South Sudan.

In a press statement, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security Mme Bineta Diop, said recent reports indicate around 150 women and girls were raped and beaten in Bentiu town in South Sudan.

Diop said the Bentiu rapes are disheartening as it happened during a period of great hope that the South Sudan civil war could be coming to an end.

"I call upon all those in authority in South Sudan to scale up their efforts to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence against women are held accountable," said Diop.

"I also urge regional, continental and international stakeholders to respond to the immediate needs of the survivors of sexual violence in South Sudan," she said.

Since the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan in December 2013, fueled by personal and ethnic rivalries, it's estimated tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly four million are displaced.