Corporate report

South Sudan - Country of Concern: latest updates, 30 June 2014

Updated 21 January 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The effect of the conflict that broke out in December 2013 has continued to dominate the human rights situation. The overall situation remains deeply concerning.

On 8 May 2014, the UN Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS) issued a comprehensive report that established credible reporting of serious and widespread human rights violations and abuses. The report summary concluded that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of international human rights and humanitarian law have been committed by both parties to the conflict. These violations include extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, rape and other acts of sexual violence, arbitrary arrests and detention, targeted attacks against civilians not taking part in hostilities, violence aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population, and attacks on hospitals as well as personnel and objects involved in a peacekeeping mission. In light of the widespread and systematic nature of many of the attacks, and information suggesting coordination and planning, there are also reasonable grounds to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder, rape and other acts of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and imprisonment have occurred.” The report went on: “Although the government has acknowledged that violations were committed and has established several accountability measures in response, there are serious questions concerning whether these mechanisms are sufficient to provide real accountability in South Sudan.”

The government of South Sudan has yet to make a formal response to this report, and we continue to press them on this.

The new agreements of 9 May and 10 June, resulting from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) talks, recommitted both sides of the conflict to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement (CoHA) and to an inclusive transitional government ahead of proposed elections in 2017-18. The CoHA has generally held, with only sporadic fighting taking place in some parts of the country. A regional Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MVM) has been created to oversee the CoHA, and an MVM Protection Force, under UN auspices, has also been created, and will deploy soon to ensure the MVM can carry out their role effectively. The UK has pledged £1million in support of the IGAD process, as well as providing technical expertise to the MVM process. The international community will continue support for IGAD mediation efforts and the Troika mechanism (US/UK/Norway) remains a vital tool in supporting the mediation process.

The African Union (AU) Commission of Inquiry, formally instituted on 7 March 2014, completed two visits in recent months aimed at gathering evidence, taking forward investigations and and promoting accountability. We look forward to receiving the commission’s report on its initial findings, expected in mid-July.

The South Sudan Human Rights Commission issued a full report at the end of March 2014. It made many important and timely observations and recommendations, including an emphasis on accountability for perpetrators of violations and abuses. The report also stressed that the leadership of the government and anti-government sides bear equal responsibility in ensuring that investigations into the atrocities are conducted without hindrance. Among the many important recommendations made were calls for both the government and anti-government sides to: commit fully to negotiations with a view to finding a peaceful political settlement to the current conflict; ensure forces have respect for and refrain from violating human rights and fundamental freedoms; allow unfettered humanitarian access to affected populations. The report was a fair and frank assessment of the situation, and we welcome it and the commission’s ongoing work.

We remain deeply concerned about the dire humanitarian situation. Almost 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes, of whom over 350,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. The food security situation continues to deteriorate and humanitarian needs are acute. While the 9 May and 10 June agreements have helped improve some humanitarian access, we continue to receive credible reports of forces from both sides hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance. All parties to the conflict must respect the independence, impartiality and neutrality of humanitarian personnel, assets and installations, and ensure that assistance can reach those who need it most. The UK is one of the leading donors to the humanitarian crisis. Total UK support since the start of the crisis is around £94 million, including £13 million for refugees from South Sudan in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Restrictions on freedom of expression have continued throughout the conflict. We continue to receive reports of harassment, intimidation and detention of journalists and human rights defenders. Journalists continue to report increasing constraints on their independence, including seizure of publications and restrictions on coverage of opposition leaders. Self-censorship by journalists and media houses is now widespread. The future of the Media Bill, passed by parliament before Christmas, but not yet signed by the President, remains unclear.

During this period the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) held its 26th session at which South Sudan was considered. Despite strenuous UK efforts to have the current situation properly reflected at the council, the resolution failed to reflect the seriousness of recent events. South Sudan requires regular, consistent attention at the HRC and, as such, we believe warrants a mandate-holder who can specifically focus on the situation, bring developments to the HRC’s attention, and make recommendations. The UK continues to urge the government of South Sudan to use all the mechanisms at its disposal, including those of the HRC, as well as co-operation and liaison with the AU Commission of Inquiry and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to address the situation.