Jurist UN Commission warns South Sudan violence endangers civilians and hinders democratic transition

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The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) in South Sudan on Thursday has issued a stark warning about escalating violence, entrenched impunity, and the grave violations of human rights that these pose to civilians and the country’s fragile democratic transition.

The Commission emphasised that impunity remains a defining feature of South Sudan’s conflict. Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández stated:

All these years, the Commission has documented serious violations and identified the same underlying problem: impunity. Too often, those responsible for grave abuses have not been held accountable, while institutions responsible for justice remain weak and under-resourced…One year after our report on corruption, there has also been little meaningful implementation of its recommendations, and in some areas the situation has deteriorated further. When violations go unpunished and public resources are diverted without consequence, impunity becomes entrenched, and that breeds violence. South Sudan cannot break this cycle without credible accountability, functioning justice institutions and transparent management of the country’s resources.

According to the Commission, widespread violence continues to devastate communities across South Sudan. Civilians face killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement, often at the hands of armed groups and militias. Survivors recount harrowing experiences of attacks on villages, destruction of property, and the targeting of vulnerable populations, including women and children. The humanitarian toll is compounded by limited access to medical care, food insecurity, and inadequate shelter for displaced families.

The UN Commission urged the transitional government to prioritise justice, strengthen protections for civilians, and ensure inclusive political participation. It also called on regional and international partners to support accountability mechanisms and provide humanitarian assistance to affected populations. The Commission stressed that sustainable peace requires not only political will but also concrete measures to put an end to the cycle of violence.

Violence in South Sudan is complex and layered, manifesting in different forms such as state-level armed conflict, localized inter-communal ethnic violence, and economic and humanitarian warfare. South Sudan comprises of 64 distinct ethnic groups, although the political and military factions are primarily localized to the largest groups being the Dinka and the Nuer. Inter-communal violence regularly occur among these groups due to intense competition over water, cattle, and grazing land, which are turned into brutal cycles of revenge killings and child abductions.

In addition to the fight over livestock and land, non-state armed actors such as the Nuer White Army and the Agwelek Militia consisting of Shilluk fighters have been mobilized by political elites to launch large-scale violence throughout the country. The German Institute for International and Security Affairs described this phenomena as an effort by the elites to outsource violence to militias, which in turn directly fuels factionalism.

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 directly protect civilians in armed conflict, including prohibitions on violence, sexual assault, and forced displacement. Article 31 in particular, prohibits physical or moral coercion against protected persons (civilians).

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