South Sudan: Commission Appointed for Human Rights Violations, Other Abuses

Photo: UN

Two UN peacekeepers killed in action have arrive in Juba for a memorial ceremony

South Sudan Commission of Inquiry established and members appointed

A Commission of Inquiry has been appointed to investigate human rights violations and other abuses committed during the armed conflict that broke out in South Sudan in mid-December 2013. The five-member Commission of Inquiry will be headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Announcing the establishment of the Commission and its members during a press briefing at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said the Commission was established in implementation of a decision of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) made by Heads of State and Government.

The mandate of the Commission as decided by the PSC, is to "investigate the human rights violations and other abuses committed during the armed conflict in South Sudan, and make recommendations on the best way and means to ensure accountability, reconciliation and healing among all South Sudanese communities."

Dr. Dlamini Zuma said the Commission was established after deep consultations with the different parties involved in the conflict as well as with the armed opposition groups. The consultations took place in Addis Ababa and during her visit to Juba.

The five members of the African Union Commission of Inquiry in South Sudan are:

- H.E. Olusegun Mathew Aremu Obasanjo - Chairperson of the Commission - Former President of Nigeria, and former Chairperson of the African Union. President Obansanjo has headed several AU Election Observation missions and initiatives. He headed the joint African Union and ECOWAS missions to Senegal during presidential polls in March 2012, paving the way for a smooth transition. He is UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to the Great Lakes and remains an integral actor in the DRC mediation efforts.

- Lady Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo - Member. President and Justice of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights based in Arusha, Tanzania. She is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and has over 39 years of experience working with high-profile national and continental organisations.

- Professor Mahmood Mamdani - Member. He is the Executive Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Prof. Mamdani was Chair of the National Commission of Inquiry into Local Government in Uganda in 1987-88. He specializes in comparative studies of colonialism since 1452, and the question of civil war and mass violence.

- Ms. Bineta Diop - Member: Recently appointed AU Chairperson's Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security. She has over 35 years of experience working in human rights, peace-building and development issues in Africa and internationally. Ms. Bineta founded the Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), a leading global organization with an objective to strengthen women's leadership and engender peace processes in Africa.

- Professor Pacifique Manirakiza - Member. He is currently a Commissioner at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights based in Banjul, The Gambia. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa School Of Law in the French Section of the Common law Program. Prof. Manirakiza specializes in International Criminal law and more specifically on the fight against international crimes before national and international tribunals.

The Technical and Administrative Support Team will be based at the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Secretariat will establish necessary contacts with the AU Liaison Office in Juba, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) based in Juba, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), as well as other relevant stakeholders, to enable members of the Commission to amply carry out their mandate.