South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (2nd R) and his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar (2nd L) shake hands as they make a last peace deal at the 33rd Extraordinary Summit of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa on September 12, 2018 (© YONAS TADESSE/AFP via Getty Images)
December 15 marks the anniversary of South Sudan’s descent into a brutal civil war, a conflict in which all parties have committed abuses amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The conflict which started as a political dispute[1] in December 2013, took ethnic undertones with civilians being targeted on the basis of ethnicity and perceived political allegiance. Nearly 400,000 people[2] have died, South Sudan’s social fabric has been torn, infrastructure destroyed and survivors left with mental health scars[3].
While the September 2018[4] peace deal led to the formation of a unity government drawn from belligerent forces, there’s been continuing conflict between government and opposition as well as within rebel factions in parts of Unity[5], Upper Nile[6] and Central Equatoria[7]. Intercommunal violence in some states[8] has also been fueled by elite power struggles. While the unity government touts the peace deal[9], wartime abuses are raging unabated in some states.
In southern Unity[10], the county commissioners of Koch and Mayendit waged a campaign of collective punishment in Sudan People’s Liberation Army in opposition (SPLA/IO) held territories in Koch and Leer County marked by killings and sexual violence. This conflict contributed to food insecurity[11] leaving civilians in Leer, among others, facing starvation. While Ceasefire monitors[12] and the UN peacekeeping mission have pointed fingers at particular officials, and the United Kingdom[13] has recently sanctioned them, the unity government has yet to take any action. The perpetrators continue to enjoy power with impunity.
The unity government has done little to de-escalate conflict and tensions between various armed groups. Earlier this year attacks by government forces on SPLA/IO positions in Torkech[14], Maiwut[15] and Longechuk[16] in Upper Nile were accompanied by widespread abuses. Since August, conflict between Kitgwang factions, government forces, SPLA/IO and the White Army militia has escalated displacing over 20,000[17] civilians. Media[18] and the UN[19] report grave abuses including targeting of civilians based on ethnicity and abductions, killings and destruction of civilian property.
Impunity has been at the heart of civilian suffering in South Sudan since 2013. Yet South Sudanese leaders haven’t made civilian protection and justice for past abuses a priority. It is time the African Union established the Hybrid Court for South Sudan[20]. If a credible, fair, and independent hybrid court does not progress, the option of the International Criminal Court should be pursued.
References
- ^ conflict which started as a political dispute (www.hrw.org)
- ^ 400,000 people (www.lshtm.ac.uk)
- ^ mental health scars (www.amnestyusa.org)
- ^ September 2018 (jmecsouthsudan.org)
- ^ Unity (unmiss.unmissions.org)
- ^ Upper Nile (unmiss.unmissions.org)
- ^ Central Equatoria (unmiss.unmissions.org)
- ^ in some states (unmiss.unmissions.org)
- ^ peace deal (www.hrw.org)
- ^ southern Unity (unmiss.unmissions.org)
- ^ food insecurity (www.ipcinfo.org)
- ^ Ceasefire monitors (ctsamvm.org)
- ^ United Kingdom (www.gov.uk)
- ^ Torkech (ctsamvm.org)
- ^ Maiwut (ctsamvm.org)
- ^ Longechuk (ctsamvm.org)
- ^ over 20,000 (www.unhcr.org)
- ^ Media (www.eyeradio.org)
- ^ the UN (www.ohchr.org)
- ^ Hybrid Court for South Sudan (www.hrw.org)
Newer articles:
- Visa Pledges to Invest $1 billion in Africa to Accelerate Digital Transformation - 17/12/2022 00:10
- Hundreds fleeing South Sudan violence reach Sudan - 16/12/2022 10:30
- 9th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) takes over mission - 16/12/2022 10:04
- South Sudanese mom amongst multiple beneficiaries of SOICS' Kia-funded 'Moving Forward' program - 16/12/2022 06:49
- Biden Pledges $55B to African Nations - 16/12/2022 01:28
Older news items
- Peaceful elections for South Sudan are possible: monitors - 15/12/2022 06:18
- United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Trains Stakeholders of Justice System in Cueibet on Roles and Responsibilities - 15/12/2022 00:58
- South Sudan: UN Human Rights Chief Urges End To Violence In Upper Nile State - 15/12/2022 00:02
- UN envoy: South Sudan leaders must halt violence, spur vote - 14/12/2022 09:13
- Japan donates relief items to flood-affected South Sudanese - 14/12/2022 06:53
Latest news items (all categories):
- UN experts say South Sudan is close to securing a $13 billion oil-backed loan from a UAE company - 18/05/2024 11:54
- DRC, South Sudan units top Equity’s earnings in first quarter - 18/05/2024 11:49
- Innuendos and tittle tattle of Kiir's regime - 18/05/2024 11:44
- South Sudan government, rebel groups sign pact to achieve lasting peace - 18/05/2024 09:58
- إلى متى ينظر الجميع إلى الفيل و يطعنون ظله..؟ - 15/05/2024 21:51
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan: Threats to Free Speech - Human Rights Watch - 31/01/2013 05:57
- South Sudan management frameworks and social assessment - 13/12/2018 05:21
- Two Twic youth trapped in Abyei freed - 10/11/2023 06:49
- Ghost traders cited in Uganda-South Sudan compensation scheme - 27/10/2022 00:40
- South Sudan army denies committing atrocities in Central Equatoria - 19/09/2015 15:37
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 35575 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 21875 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 20767 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 17454 times
- With prisons full, South Sudan to introduce mobile courts to clear backlog of cases - 11/10/2012 11:29 - Read 14236 times