Corporate report

Human Rights Priority Country status report: January to June 2016

Updated 8 February 2017

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government

The human rights situation in South Sudan remained of serious concern during this period. Widespread abuses continued, the humanitarian situation worsened and freedom of expression came under increasing pressure. This is despite the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) on 29 April, following the signing of a peace agreement in August 2015. Implementation of the peace agreement has been slow and the ceasefire has been breached consistently.

A UN Panel of Experts report in January condemned the senior leadership from both sides of the conflict highlighting their role in the violence and human rights abuses that have occurred since fighting broke out in December 2013. Despite some parts of the country becoming more peaceful, violence between government and opposition forces spread to previously peaceful parts of the country, including Wau and Western Bahr el-Ghazal, where conflict broke out resulting in the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) having to provide a surge of extra resources to protect civilians.

President Kiir’s decision to divide the country into 28 states continued to cause tension and division between ethnic groups. This was exacerbated by political disagreements over cantonment locations for opposition fighters. The ramifications of these decisions was epitomised by the outbreak of violence in Wau, a previously peaceful town in the west of the country. Abuses against Fertit civilians in and around the town by government-backed forces were reported on a regular basis. Up to 80,000 civilians fled the town to seek shelter within UN bases. UN troops were initially denied access to help those fleeing.

Attacks on civilians continued. Government-backed forces reportedly undertook an attack on a UN protection of civilians (PoC) camp in Malakal in February. As many as 25 people were killed, and a large section of the camp was burnt to the ground. The UK condemned the attack and is pressing for the UN board of inquiry to ensure lessons are learnt. We also called on the then government of South Sudan to investigate the incident.

South Sudan’s economy further declined during the reporting period and is now close to collapse. With soldiers and police not receiving regular monthly salaries, many armed security personnel have reportedly resorted to increased corruption and illegal rent seeking activities. Security forces have also reportedly taken to seizing goods from markets and harassing local and international businessmen.

The humanitarian situation remained severe. Aid workers continued to report significant difficulties in gaining access to affected areas and there were reports of some humanitarian workers leaving the country fearing for their safety. A report in May from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) concluded that violent attacks against humanitarian personnel increased, including shooting, ambushes, assaults, harassment and robberies. 55 humanitarian workers have been killed since the hostilities began, making South Sudan one of the most dangerous countries in the world for such workers. The government refused to reconsider an NGO bill, passed into law this year, which severely restricts NGOs’ freedom to operate in the country.

Violations of freedom of expression continued during the reporting period. There were reports of torture and arbitrary arrests of journalists by the National Security Service (NSS), which was given expanded powers by the 2014 NSS bill. Press freedoms remained a concern, with South Sudan falling a further 15 places in the latest World Press Freedom Index; it is now ranked 140 out of 180 countries. At the state-owned Voice of Eastern Equatoria radio station on 9 May, 4 staff members were detained by the NSS. Upon their release on bail, they were warned against broadcasting anything critical of the government. The UK helped to fund radio programming and media training to stimulate public debates on freedom of expression issues.

Incidents of arbitrary and proxy detentions, many of them prolonged and in unacceptable conditions, were reported, especially in the capital, Juba. In a number of areas, politically motivated detentions were common. For example, in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, at least 18 alleged opposition supporters were reportedly arrested in April in Aweil South County, 11 of whom were only released without charge after a month, having promised to refrain from political activity. In a gesture of reconciliation, the government released a limited number of political prisoners in April. However, many more political prisoners and journalists remain in custody without charge. The UK has consistently raised our concerns with the government.

The monitoring and investigating of human rights violations remained difficult in many areas, with UN teams being refused access. In June, there was a positive move from the State Minister for Local Government who committed himself to lifting restrictions on human rights monitoring activities. As yet, there has been no sign that this has had any effect.

The recruitment and abuse of children accounted for the majority of verified human rights incidents. Between April and June alone, 84 human rights incidents affecting 1,605 children were reported by the UN. In May, Ethiopian troops searched for over 100 children abducted by a South Sudanese militia group during a cross-border cattle raid. The raiders reportedly killed over 200 people, blaming the attack on an ethnic Murle militia group from South Sudan’s Boma area, which borders Ethiopia’s Gambela region.

The UK continued to prioritise work on preventing sexual violence due to the prevalence of rape. We welcomed the visit of UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, to South Sudan in May. She urged the TGNU leadership to implement commitments made to address sexual violence crimes in a joint UN communiqué of 2014. Although the President has appointed a minister for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), little action has been taken to date. To underline the scale of the challenge, over the past two years, the UN has recorded over 32,000 cases of sexual violence. UK-funded projects have involved outreach to women’s parliamentary groups and victims of SGBV, as well as organising events to spark public debate and increase public awareness.

Continued monitoring and reporting of human rights remains essential. At the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in March, the UK helped to secure a strong resolution. It mandated the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to appoint a 3-person Commission on Human Rights to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in South Sudan for one year, and to make recommendations for its improvement. The commission is scheduled to present a report to the HRC in March 2017. The government of South Sudan agreed to cooperate and accommodate the commission.

All parties to the conflict have failed to deliver on their public commitments to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses and violations to account. The UK will continue to press for justice mechanisms, in particular the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, to be established as soon as possible to ensure that perpetrators are held to account.