UN Human Rights Council holds dialogue on S. Sudan situation
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September 18, 2017 (JUBA) - The United Nations Human Rights Council on
Monday held an enhanced interactive dialogue on the human rights
situation in war-torn South Sudan.
JPEG - 157.1 kb
A general view of participants during the 29th Regular Session of the
Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3 July 2015 - (UN Photo)
The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate
Gilmore, noted that the scale of human suffering generated by the
crisis in war-torn South Sudan was almost beyond description.
“Civilians bore the brunt of that violence and destruction - the fruit
of a deep failure of leadership,” said Gilmore in her opening
statement.
She added, “More than a third of South Sudan’s population was
displaced by the crisis, of which more than two million were
children”.
According to the UN, all parties to the conflict committed gross
violations, including widespread sexual violence, enforced
disappearances and extra-judicial killings, attacks on humanitarian
workers and programmes, and targeting of civilians and civilian
objects.
“It was clear that some of those violations could constitute war
crimes or crimes against humanity. It was well past time for
principled leadership to act in the interest of all South Sudanese,”
said Gilmore.
The Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan,
Yasmin Sooka, said that the Hybrid Court for South Sudan needed to be
established swiftly, but that the people of South Sudan also needed a
commission on truth and healing.
“The national dialogue would not enjoy countrywide support, as there
was a prevailing climate of fear. Some argued that justice should wait
for peace, but in fact peace and justice had to advance in tandem,
otherwise the suffering would continue,” she said.
South Sudan’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Paulino
Wanawilla said that since the crisis of 2013, South Sudan had
continued to be condemned by some as a country which was rapidly
losing its central power and sovereignty.
“The allegations had been exaggerations by those who wanted to make
South Sudan their project. Due to the resilience and determination of
the leadership and the people of South Sudan, the country continued to
maintain its sovereignty, central power, and control of most of its
territory,” said the minister.
He, however, emphasized that as a result of the commitment to the
implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in
the Republic of South Sudan, a series of institutions had been
established, including the Transitional Government of National Unity
of the Republic of South Sudan; the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation
Commission; and the National Constitutional Review Committee.
The Deputy Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation
Commission for the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in
South Sudan, Augustino Njorge, explained that the renewed hostilities
from July 2016 across South Sudan had resulted in a rapid
deterioration of the political, security and humanitarian situation.
“The deterioration covered parts of the country which had been
previously peaceful, thereby causing massive internal displacement.
Food insecurity and disease had contributed to the worsening of the
humanitarian situation,” he told the Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, Eugene Nindorera, the Director of Human Rights of the
United Nations Mission in South Sudan, regretted the continued human
rights abuses in South Sudan and the evolution of the conflict in that
country.
He said armed opposition fighters used guerrilla tactics, while the
Government used a heavy-handed approach towards the population because
of their political allegiance or ethnicity.
“The need for more manpower had fuelled forceful recruitment of
fighters, including of children by all parties to the conflict.
Civilians continued to be detained for years without any access to
justice,” he said.
The South Sudanese civil war is a conflict in South Sudan between
forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013,
President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of
attempting a coup d’état. Since then, the conflict has killed tens of
thousands of people and displaced over 2 million.
(ST)
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