Use peace deal extension for reforms in South Sudan: HRW
August 18, 2022 (NAIROBI) – South Sudanese leaders should address chronic insecurity, rights abuses and the worsening humanitarian situation during the country’s extended transition period, a U.S-based group said.
On August 4, 2022, parties to the September 2018 revitalised peace agreement agreed to extend it for 24 months, starting in February 2023.
“The last four-and-a-half years in South Sudan have been characterized by repression, violence against civilians, and attacks that have undermined efforts to complete the transition,” said Nyagoah Tut Pur, South Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
She added, “The extension needs to be accompanied by a dramatic shift in the attitude of South Sudan’s leadership and concrete steps toward improving the country’s human rights situation.”
South Sudan descended into violent conflict in 2013, where all sides to the conflict committed abuses against civilians. A peace deal signed in 2015 for a unity government collapsed in 2016 and spread further conflict.
That 2015 peace deal was “revitalized” by the warring parties in 2018 and was set to end in February 2023. But sporadic violence has continued.
According to aid agencies, South Sudan residents face a dire humanitarian situation, with 60% of the population facing food insecurity.
The transitional period extension took place against a backdrop of rampant insecurity, characterised by localised and intercommunal conflicts in parts of the country, underdevelopment and Covid-19 impact.
“The extension of the peace agreement should not be used to extend suffering and betray the hopes of South Sudanese people,” Pur said.
“Regional and international partners should be ready to take bold action to ensure that leaders remedy their past failures and pave the way for justice, democracy, and sustainable peace,” she added.
The rights body, however, appealed to the country’s authorities to ensure justice for serious crimes, cultivate civic space and end repression, reform the national security service and end summary executions in the country.
Calls were made for regional and international partners to enhance pressure and leverage to ensure institutional reforms are completed, rule of law restored and significant progress made on protecting human rights.
(ST)