The United Nations has documented how, on top of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government’s security forces are violating fundamental rights and freedoms.
“What was the point of independence if we are still destitute and in chaos?” a woman from Duk county in Jonglei state, South Sudan, said in a recent video recording.
She is one of the thousands of people who have had to flee their homes because of vicious cycles of violence between the Murle and sections of the Nuer and Dinka Bor in Jonglei.
As South Sudan marks its 9th year of independence, the goals of its long-fought independence from Sudan — freedom, social justice, equality, progress, and democracy — are far from being realised. South Sudan instead faces a crisis of persistent low-level conflict, poor governance, entrenched impunity, weak institutions and no rule of law.
Four million people remain displaced from a civil war that has raged since December 2013. Six million depend on humanitarian aid. Across the country, fighting between government and rebel groups continues, with civilians being killed, maimed and forced to leave their homes.
The United Nations has documented how, on top of the Covid-19 pandemic[1], the government’s security forces are violating fundamental rights and freedoms.[2] More than 2 100 people are infected with the Covid-19 virus, putting pressure on the country’s weak health care system, underscoring that the government has not invested in health, education, agriculture and clean water, but in security and defence.
Freedom of speech, opinion and assembly are guaranteed by South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution, yet civic space has continued to shrink. Military and National Security Service personnel have targeted activists and government critics, instilling a climate of fear in which there is no opportunity to question and criticise the government.
In June, the National Security Service detained an activist, Moses Monday[3], for putting up billboards demanding financial transparency in government spending. He was released after two weeks of negotiations. Another activist, Kanybil Noon[4], arrested in unclear circumstances, has been held without charge at the security service headquarters since May 29.
Many South Sudanese feel that their leaders have betrayed them and subjected the country to struggle and suffering instead of lifting it out of the subjugation, inequality, and degradation that they fought against in their long war of independence.
What can be done to change this? South Sudanese leaders need to demonstrate that they have plans for reforms and that the future is not just mere power sharing and access to state coffers by the elite. They need to demonstrate that they can address conflicts through political discourse and processes rather than violence.
The 2018 peace deal, a revitalisation of the 2015 deal that collapsed in 2016, provides an opportunity to serve and protect the South Sudanese people and build a future based on justice, equality, human rights and rule of law. Yet there are still delays in carrying out the peace deal. The parties have yet to unify their opposing forces into a national army and have not reconstituted Parliament since February, preventing key checks and balances on the executive and slowing down legislation to reform the army and the security service and set up a transitional justice system.
The unity government must prove its commitment to accountability for crimes committed during the war. Truth telling, reconciliation, reparations,and criminal accountability is fundamental for the transformation of South Sudan. It is an opportunity to hold South Sudanese leaders accountable and victims of serious rights violations can start to heal.
The public will need to participate meaningfully in the transitional justice process and in creating a permanent Constitution. To this end, reforms to limit the role[5] of the abusive National Security Service to intelligence gathering should be urgently enacted.
The social contract needs to be repaired and a just and equal society built.
The new unity government needs to reaffirm its commitment to respecting and promoting rights, in particular delivering on economic and social rights, and follow up with concrete actions. That includes signing an agreement with the African Union to establish the envisioned hybrid court and reconstitute parliament so they can embark on the important tasks of rebuilding the country.
References
- ^ Covid-19 pandemic (www.un.org)
- ^ fundamental rights and freedoms. (www.ohchr.org)
- ^ Moses Monday (eyeradio.org)
- ^ Kanybil Noon (radiotamazuj.org)
- ^ reforms to limit the role (www.hrw.org)
Newer articles:
- South Sudan Resumes Flights After Virus Suspension - 09/07/2020 11:42
- Spotlight: South Sudan marks nine years of independence - 09/07/2020 10:09
- Burundi, South Sudan - East Africa's Weak link in Human Trafficking - 09/07/2020 09:25
- Statement from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General David Shearer Celebrating South Sudan Independence Day - 09/07/2020 03:44
- As South Sudan turns nine, its people remain committed to peace - 09/07/2020 00:18
Older news items
- His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik congratulates President of South Sudan - 08/07/2020 08:32
- UNHCR calls on South Sudan leaders to reinvigorate peace efforts on 9th anniversary of independence - 08/07/2020 06:55
- Opinion | South Sudan: Treaty obligations as key pillar of foreign policy - 08/07/2020 06:54
- South Sudan: Food Security Outlook, June 2020 to January 2021 - 08/07/2020 01:35
- South Sudan Diplomat Gordon Buay Urinates During Live Panel Discussion - 07/07/2020 16:05
Latest news items (all categories):
- Hope for Christmas gift as South Sudan talks return to Nairobi - 05/12/2024 10:26
- Chinese medical team brings relief to South Sudan patients - 05/12/2024 10:18
- Sudanese bishop speaks about being brutalized by soldiers - 05/12/2024 10:08
- President Biden: Absent Principles - No Honoring Words - Broken Promises - 05/12/2024 09:55
- South Sudan’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Continues – Analysis - 01/12/2024 17:47
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan says Heglig oilfield reduced to rubble, Sudan denies - Chicago Tribune - 15/04/2012 14:25
- Salva Kiir: South Sudan's president in a cowboy hat - 21/06/2018 12:37
- South Sudan stops councils’ formation till TB Joshua’s visit - 15/11/2020 19:38
- Hundreds of British soldiers to tackle South Sudan refugee crisis: Troops deployed after charity warns that without intervention there would be a 'catastrophic' number of deaths - 17/04/2017 17:57
- Civilian-Military Relations Improve in South Sudan’s Wau - 21/05/2019 15:09
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 58418 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22215 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21357 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18882 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17995 times