Human rights ‘key’ in transition to ‘durable peace’ in South Sudan says UN
Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 20th Feb. UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan on Monday said that the South Sudan’s leaders must carefully navigate the period of transition towards “durable peace”, to prevent ng further violence and gross human rights violations.
UN independent investigators have carried out their 12th visit to South Sudan.
Yasmin Sooka, Chairperson of the Commission, said it was essential for Juba to create a unified national army and transitional justice processes to deal with the root causes of the conflict.
“Our investigations have found that the violence and gross human rights violations continue with impunity, with women and children being the main target of these crimes,” she said.
Yasmin Sooka,said that independence of the judiciary and joint security arrangements with constitutional support “are essential to avoid a return to conflict following elections”.
She noted that with elections due in December, none of the processes agreed under the 2018 Revitalized Agreement “were even close to completion”.
Commissioner Barney Afako said “South Sudan’s leaders must end the political and local conflicts and contestations that have brought so much pain and suffering to the people and invest in State and nation building grounded in respect for diversity, and the protection of human rights”.
Commissioners held discussions with the President, the First-Vice President, senior cabinet ministers and legislators in Juba.
They engaged with civil society, victims and survivors, human rights defenders, and journalists.
Head of UN Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is in South Sudan for a joint visit to the region with Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa.
The focus of the visit is to assess progress made on the peace process and the preparations underway for the upcoming elections.
He arrived in Juba on Sunday Mr. Lacroix said the visit was an expression of the UN family’s solidarity with the country.
