South Sudan leaders allowing human rights crisis to worsen: UN report News
Jill Craig (VOA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
South Sudan leaders allowing human rights crisis to worsen: UN report

South Sudan’s political leaders are failing their people by enabling impunity, corruption, and systemic human rights violations, warns the latest report from the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan on Friday. The report highlights persistent patterns of violence, repression, and economic mismanagement, underscoring the urgent need for meaningful reform to prevent further deterioration of the country’s political and humanitarian situation.

The transitional government’s mandate was extended for another two years in September 2024, citing funding constraints and delays in implementing key provisions of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. However, between September 2022 and August 2024, government revenues reached approximately USD $3.5 billion, primarily from oil exports. Despite this, courts, hospitals, and schools remain in disrepair, judicial institutions are underfunded, and civil servants continue to go unpaid.

“This extension must not be another excuse to delay reforms,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “We are seeing the same patterns of gross human rights violations in the same places, often implicating the same officials. Without meaningful action, the cycle of violence and impunity will continue.”

The report highlights the introduction of the “Green Book” law in Warrap State, which authorizes summary executions for crimes such as cattle raiding and intra-communal violence. The Commission found that this measure has entrenched lawlessness, fueling cycles of retaliation while disproportionately targeting specific ethnic groups. Multiple victims, including children, have been detained without trial and executed by firing squads under this law. Judicial oversight remains practically non-existent, with only one judge appointed for the entire state.

Conflict-related sexual violence remains systematic and widespread, particularly in Tambura, where armed forces and militias continue to commit atrocities. Women and girls are subjected to gang rapes, mutilation, forced marriages, and sexual slavery. The Commission documented multiple cases where survivors lacked access to medical care, legal recourse, and psychological support. Many feared reporting incidents due to the stigma and potential retaliation by perpetrators, who often remain in positions of power.

As South Sudan reaches the highest level of corruption on the Corruption Perception Index, the humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels. More than 2 million people remain internally displaced, and 2.28 million have fled to neighboring countries. Half of the country’s population faces severe hunger, compounded by economic collapse and insecurity. Humanitarian organizations struggle to operate due to bureaucratic obstructions, funding shortages, and violent attacks on aid workers. In 2024 alone, 198 violent incidents against humanitarian personnel were recorded, including abductions and killings.

The UN Commission urges immediate action, including full implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, prosecution of human rights violators, repeal of the Green Book law, an end to the recruitment of child soldiers, and strengthened institutions to combat corruption and uphold the rule of law. Without concrete steps toward governance reform, the country remains trapped in cycles of violence and repression.

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