Advocacy groups petition AU to establish hybrid court on S. Sudan conflict

September 26, 2015 (JUBA) – More than 100 advocacy groups comprising members of influential non-governmental organisations from around the world have written a petition asking the African Union (AU) to express commitment to establishing an hybrid court for South Sudan and to publish report commissioned by the continental body tasked to investigate atrocities committed during the course of the 21-month long conflict.

“We write as a group of South Sudanese and international non-governmental organizations to encourage you to take advantage of the African Union Peace and Security Council meeting on South Sudan scheduled for September 26, 2015 in New York to express your commitment to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and to help ensure publication of the report of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan (AUCISS) without delay,” partly reads the petition extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday.

These actions, it says, would make clear the African Union Commission’s commitment to justice and to South Sudanese victims of crimes under international law in a conflict that has devastated millions of lives.

The letter cited a provision of the peace agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan which the rival leaders have signed and provided for a Hybrid Court for South Sudan to be established by the African Union Commission as well as a Truth, Reconciliation and Healing Commission and a Compensation and Reparations Authority.

The group argued that a credible, independent hybrid court to try crimes under international law committed during the conflict and that meets internationally accepted standards of fairness and impartiality has the potential to provide an essential contribution for South Sudanese looking for sustainable peace.

They empathized that investigations into these crimes and the identification of perpetrators should start now before further evidence is lost or disappears.

“Experience has shown the failure to address past crimes has fuelled renewed abuse. Lasting stability, national healing and opportunity for South Sudanese looking to build a human rights-respecting state will require that crimes committed are addressed,” it says.

“Swift and robust support from the AU and others is crucial for these hopes to become reality.”

It inquired the rationale behind delaying the report, saying both the government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) were provided with copies of the report, while the victims of human rights violations, many of whom provided information to the committee at great personal risk, are left with no information about its findings and recommendations.

It said publication of the report may also prove important to future investigators, adding that the AU took a significant step in creating the commission, adding international and local partners continued to eagerly await publication of the commission’s report in order to consider its contents.

(ST)