UN Commission’s inquiry finds South Sudan’s leaders fuelling violence, obstructing peace, and perpetuating gross human rights violations

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (R) shakes hands with former rebel leader and First Vice-President Riek Machar (L) after a new unity government was sworn-in, Juba, South Sudan, 29 April 2016 (EPA/PHILLIP DHIL)

GENEVA/JUBA – South Sudan’s political leaders must address the impunity and corruption that fuels gross human rights violations, or risk jeopardising South Sudan’s political transition, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan concluded in its latest report.

Today, the Commission presented the 24-page report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, accompanied by a 10-page summary of key findings.

“It is unconscionable that so many years after its independence, political leaders continue their violent contestations across the country, and are abjectly failing the people of South Sudan,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission. “Our investigations in 2024 identified the same patterns of gross violations in the same places, often implicating the same public and military offices. Sexual violence persists both in and outside conflicts, even as senior officials continue to endorse extrajudicial killings, and the forced recruitment and abduction of boys and girls into combat or sexual slavery continue unchecked.”

Drawing primarily from the Commission’s independent investigations in South Sudan throughout 2024, alongside engagements with authorities, open-source and forensic information, the report reveals how political and military elites continue to fuel violence and instability.

The report describes the situation in Tambura, where, in 2024, armed forces and militias inflicted extreme violence against civilians along ethnic lines, deepening the unhealed traumas and divisions stemming from the 2021 conflict. Local and national political elites are implicated in pursuing violent, divisive politics; many have retained public and military offices despite past violations and have not faced accountability for their crimes.

“Our investigations revealed that conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains systematic, brutal and widespread, with survivors reporting a lack of access to critical reproductive and psychological healthcare. The testimonies of children forced into combat or held as sexual slaves underscore a systemic failure to protect South Sudan’s future generation. These acts constitute grave violations of international law, yet the perpetrators continue to operate with impunity”, Sooka emphasized.

“The repetition of these human rights violations is deeply connected to pervasive impunity, the lack of accountability in governance, and the failures to properly direct the country’s national wealth toward establishing credible institutions and systems,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “This is why in many of our recommendations, in addition to a focus on human rights law, we return to the institution-building commitments in the Revitalized Peace Agreement.”

In September 2024, parties to the Revitalized Agreement agreed to a further two-year extension of its transitional political arrangements, commencing this week.

“This extension must not be squandered or become just another excuse for avoiding political transition. Instead, it must be used to implement the core outstanding elements of the Revitalized Agreement, including the commitment to adopt a permanent constitution, which offers a blueprint for sustainable peace and stability,” Afako added.

Although 'severe funding constraints' were cited to justify the extension, the Commission’s report notes that between September 2022 and August 2024, government revenues approached $3.5 billion, primarily from oil. Yet, courts, hospitals, and schools remain in disrepair, judicial institutions are underfunded, and civil servants remain unpaid.

“Financing essential services and rule of law institutions requires an end to the corruption. The theft of national wealth robs citizens of justice, education, and healthcare. Without addressing this systemic looting, no peace agreement will ever translate into meaningful change”, said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández.

The report also examines the introduction in 2024 of the “Green Book” state law in Warrap, which purports to authorize extrajudicial killings by firing squad for suspected cattle raiding and intra-communal violence. The Commission found that this law has entrenched a culture of lawlessness, implicating senior officials and the State Government in gross human rights violations. It further inflames tensions, as 'Green Book' offences are selectively applied to prosecute certain sides in intra-communal conflicts. With only one judge appointed for the entire state and inadequate funding, Warrap’s judiciary is crippled, leaving victims without justice and fuelling cycles of retaliation.

“The Government’s tacit endorsement of these killings further inflames tensions. We documented multiple instances where Green Book provisions were selectively applied to settle scores, undermining fragile community relations. The Green Book must be overruled immediately. Warrap’s judiciary requires urgent funding and support, or violence will remain the default form of justice,” Fernández added.

During their visit to South Sudan last week, the three Commissioners met with survivors of human rights violations. In her statement to the Council today, Chairperson Sooka highlighted these engagements, echoing civil society and international partners’ concerns over the entrenched repression and lack of political will to break cycles of gross human rights violations. The Commissioners also underscored the government’s longstanding neglect of essential institutions, including courts, hospitals, schools, and welfare services.

ENDS

The Commission’s full report can be found here, and its short summary here.

Background: The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council. First established in March 2016, it has been renewed annually since. Its three Commissioners are not UN staff, they are not remunerated for their work as Commissioners, and they serve independently in their capacity as experts. They are supported by a Secretariat based in Juba, South Sudan.

More informationabout the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan can be found here. Follow the Commission on X (formerly Twitter) here, and on YouTube here.

For media queries, please contact: in Juba: Rajeev PS, Public Information Officer/Media Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +211912174078; in Geneva: Todd Pitman, Media Adviser, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./ +41766911761.

Source: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/un-commissions-inquiry-finds-south-sudans-leaders-fuelling-violence