United Nations experts have called for urgent accountability and resources to address human rights violations in South Sudan.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan highlighted the country’s deep-rooted impunity, the collapse of governance, and the systematic failure of justice.
“There’s absolutely no effective response to human rights violations, and political elites continue to benefit from corruption and predation,” said Yasmin Sooka, chair of the commission.
Speaking at a press conference in Juba after a four-day visit, Sooka emphasized that lawlessness has become the norm, replacing any meaningful pursuit of justice.
She urged political leaders to prioritize human rights, address citizens’ urgent needs, and protect over two million refugees and internally displaced persons.
International aid cuts have further worsened the crisis, with South Sudan’s oil revenues failing to benefit the people in need, she added.
During a visit to Kuacjok in Warrap State, the commission witnessed harrowing cases of gender-based violence, including young girls forced into marriage.
“These teenage survivors endure rape, physical abuse, and forced pregnancies, treated as mere commodities exchanged for cattle,” Sooka revealed.
Extreme poverty and a lack of development have left victims without access to even the most basic services, she stated.
Commission member Barney Afako called on the government to amend the National Security Service Act, which he said enables systematic abuses.
“The government must put an end to arbitrary detentions and violations committed by security forces against civil society and the media,” he insisted.
Carlos Castresana Fernandez, another expert, stressed that South Sudan’s judiciary is severely underfunded and unable to tackle the country’s escalating violence.
“The adoption of extrajudicial killings in Warrap State stems from a judiciary that has been completely abandoned,” Fernandez warned.
