The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned in a report on Friday that mass violence and gross human rights violations in South Sudan continue unabated and must be urgently addressed.

The Commission conducted investigations in South Sudan and its neighboring states in 2023. The investigations involved hundreds of interviews, expert forensic analysis and engagements with state authorities. The findings indicate a persistence of armed conflict, which frequently involves sexual and gender-based crimes, use of children in armed forces, and the curtailment of media and civil society.

“Our investigations again found an absolutely unacceptable situation in South Sudan, whereby families and communities are devastated by human rights violations and abuses by armed forces, militias and State institutions acting with impunity,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chairperson of the Commission. “South Sudan’s immediate and long-term future hinges on political leaders finally making good on their commitments to bring peace, and reverse cyclical human rights violations.”

The report follows a string of papers published in 2021, 2022 and 2023, which detailed sexual and gender-based crimes, attacks against journalists and human rights activists, and media censorship in South Sudan. The Commission has repeatedly urged the government to address structural drivers of violence to enable legitimate and meaningful political processes.

Measures to facilitate political and humanitarian assistance were laid out in the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. According to the Agreement, the South Sudanese government pledged to end its internal conflicts and hold its first elections, which are due to take place in December 2024. Yet, the report finds that the human rights violations remain unchecked as the root causes stay unaddressed.