Workshop on Transitional Justice commences in Jonglei
February 15, 2023 (BOR) – A workshop on transitional justice commenced in Jonglei State on Wednesday with calls for establishment of mechanisms to promote accountability, truth, reconciliation and healing in South Sudan.
Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), with support from the UN human rights office (OHCHR), is organizing the three-day event.
At least 30 participants are attending the workshop in the state capital, Bor.
Chapter V of Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) deals with transitional justice and the establishment of mechanisms to promote accountability, truth, reconciliation and healing.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day event, the state human rights advisor, Simon Manyok Deng said the government has demonstrated its commitment to implementing Chapter V of the 2018 peace agreement.
“This was demonstrated by the second extension of the transitional period roadmap. We are closely watching to see that it upholds to this,” he said.
In August last year, South Sudan’s parties to the September 2018 peace deal signed a roadmap extending the transitional period for 24 months, citing the inability to complete critical benchmarks on the agreed time.
Deng cited abduction of women and children, cattle raiding and communal violence as major forms of human rights violations in the state.
He said the state intends to pass laws and policies to curb such practices.
CEPO’s Access to Justice Officer, Elizabeth Daniel Lubanga said the workshop on the theme, ‘Supporting a citizen-centered transitional justice process” seeks to raise awareness on transitional justice and equip civil actors with knowledge and skills on transitional justice mechanism process.
“Civil society organizations have a critical role to play as the voice and mouth piece of the citizens to advocate for the engagement and participation in transitional justice processes,” she explained.
Lubanga said the training targets victims of gross human rights violations and other stakeholders in Jonglei State in terms of knowledge acquisition on transitional justice as well as gathering their views on how and what the transitional justice processes should look like and advance pressing issues.
“The training will also tackle conflict prevention and trauma healing,” she stressed.
Transitional justice, according to the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), refers to the various policy measures (formal and traditional or non-formal) and institutional mechanisms that societies adopt in order to create conditions for security and democratic and socio-economic transformation.
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