Press release
Geneva – March 3, 2024
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan issued a stark warning today, highlighting the escalating risk of widespread human rights violations and violence if the underlying causes of conflict in the region are not promptly addressed. The commission’s latest report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, paints a grim picture of unchecked mass violence, systemic repression, and a stifled democratic space in South Sudan.
Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka underscored the gravity of the situation, stating, “Our investigations reveal an unacceptable state of affairs in South Sudan, where families and communities are enduring severe human rights abuses by armed forces, militias, and state institutions acting with impunity. The media and civil society are operating under intolerable conditions, hindering democratic expression for the entire population.”
The report, based on extensive investigations throughout 2023, details the persistent armed conflict, with state actors either instigating or failing to prevent violence, resulting in killings, sexual crimes, and civilian displacement. It also exposes the use of children in the armed forces, the systematic curtailment of media and civil society, and the diversion of state revenues from crucial sectors like the rule of law, health, and education.
Commissioner Barney Afako emphasized the unfulfilled promises of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which is critical for ensuring peace and human rights protections. Afako stated, “The transformative promises of the Revitalized Agreement remain unfulfilled, jeopardizing prospects for peace and human rights protections. Time is running out for South Sudan’s leaders to implement key commitments, which are the building blocks for peace, for holding the country together, and advancing human rights beyond the elections.”
The report identifies patterns of violations that continue to escalate due to unaddressed root causes. Disturbingly, abductions of women and children in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area appear to be worsening, involving horrific sexual violence and family separations. The commission’s recommendations to the South Sudanese government focus on urgently implementing core aspects of the Revitalized Agreement, including establishing transitional justice institutions and actions to open democratic space.
Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka emphasized the human toll of the conflict by highlighting the stories of South Sudanese individuals interviewed by the commission, urging the country’s leaders to embrace peace. The report concludes with a call for urgent action to prevent further deterioration of the human rights situation in South Sudan.
For the full March 2024 report, click here. A three-page infographic summary is available here, and the detailed report from October 2023 can be found here
