By Kei Emmanuel Duku
Amnesty International has called for the extension of United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) mandate, citing ongoing concerns about persistent human rights violations.
The organization argues that South Sudan has yet to implement meaningful and durable reforms to improve human rights to a level that would warrant changes to the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan’s mandate.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty stated that South Sudan has failed to meet critical tasks that prompted the UN Security Council to establish the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.
Since its formation in 2016, there have been no tangible improvements in the level of human rights violations registered in the country.
According to Amnesty International, the proposal to extend the CHRSS mandate stems from ongoing conflict within Greater Equatoria and Greater Upper Nile regions, as well as other human rights abuses perpetrated by national security officers against civilians.
The human rights body is proposing an additional two years for the commission. If granted, the Commission will run until 2027.
“We call on this Council to extend the mandate of the Commission for at least two years. The National Security Service continues to be implicated in human rights violations, yet in August 2024, President Kiir allowed a bill maintaining the National Security Service’s unconstitutional powers of arrest and detention to become law,” the statement read.
It further stated that persistent impunity for crimes under international law continues to exist across many parts of the country with the government failing to take proactive actions against violators.
Amnesty International also criticized some senior government officials for continuously accusing the African Union of delaying the establishment of the Hybrid Court.
The Hybrid Court, according to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, will be independently formed to investigate and prosecute human rights violators for the 2016 war crimes.
“We are concerned that the South Sudanese government may be protecting suspected perpetrators of serious crimes from being prosecuted and punished,” the statement added.
Amnesty International urged the government of South Sudan to take meaningful action during the two-year extended transitional period by ensuring accountability for crimes under international law, particularly concerning the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and justice sector reform.