The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan issued a report that warns mass violence and gross human rights violations continue in the region unabated.
The chaotic situation in the region comes ahead of landmark elections that are scheduled to take place in December later this year. The report warned that patterns of violence, violations, and entrenched impunity continue to plague the lives of an extremely vulnerable population.
Violence in South Sudan
The report also warned that the already dire humanitarian situation in the nation will only deteriorate even further. The country's elections, which are the first to be held since independence from Sudan in 2011, should signify a milestone in efforts to secure a lasting peace since the end of the civil war.
In 2018, officials reached a peace deal but its implementation has been sluggish and violence continued to persist in several parts of the nation. The report that was presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Friday in Geneva said that the region's elections face severe political and logistical challenges, as per the Associated Press.
There were crucial steps taken in the 2018 peace deal, which include the adoption of a permanent constitution, the unification of armed forces, and the establishment of transitional justice institutions that "remain outstanding or incomplete."
In a statement, Commissioner Barney Afako said that time is already running out for South Sudan's leaders to implement key commitments. He said that these are considered to be the building blocks for peace, holding the country together, and advancing human rights beyond the elections.
While the nation's elections were originally supposed to take place in early 2023, they were postponed for 18 months due to a variety of factors. The report claimed that various nation and state-building efforts have already faltered while predation and repression have been entrenched.
The members of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan expressed hope that the local government would live up to the commitments of the 2020 revitalized peace agreement, according to the Voice of America News.
Humanitarian Conditions
Afako said that in April last year, they named senior officials who were responsible for serious crimes, including extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, and sexual violence. He noted that all of them retain their positions, including the governor of Unity State, Joseph Monytuil, and the Koch County commissioner Gordon Koang.
The report also noted that children in South Sudan were being recruited into the army and militias and armed cattle keepers encroach upon and grab the land of farmers, conducting sexual violence as well as mass abductions on women and children.
The UN commission has documented various cases of young girls and women who were taken and were then held as sexual slaves. Afako also noted that many of the victims who were affected by the situation testified that they were regularly beaten, continuously raped, and threatened to be killed.
The Human Rights Watch also issued a statement on the matter, where it said that it shared the UN commission's concerns over "entrenched systematic repression." The agency noted that authorities in South Sudan are still failing to provide accountability for grave abuses, said HRW.
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