UN experts warn of worsening human rights crisis in South Sudan over election delay

JUBA – The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (UNCHSS) has issued a warning that the recent two-year extension of the country’s transitional period risks exacerbating the ongoing human rights crisis.

The decision to extend the transitional period until February 2027, with elections taking place in December 2026 instead of December 2024, was reached on September 13, 2024  during a meeting between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy Riek Machar.

The decision has been met with concerns by citizens and the country’s international friends, who say that perpetual extensions of the transition since South Sudan gained independence in 2011 risk undermining efforts to bring peace to the country.

UN rights experts argue that the extension reflects the failure of political leaders to implement key provisions of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“Since independence in 2011, South Sudan’s unelected leaders have continued to entrench impunity for systematic and gross human rights violations, fuel insecurity, and deliberately thwart efforts to democratize the country,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.

Sooka highlighted the government’s failure to address civil, political, and socio-economic rights, accusing its leaders of prioritizing power retention and self-enrichment over the well-being of their citizens.

“Addressing civil, political, and socio-economic rights is a core obligation of all governments, yet South Sudan’s leaders have failed to fulfill these obligations,” she said. “The challenges to a peaceful transition to democracy are not insurmountable if one implements the Revitalized Agreement as it was envisioned.”

“However, the delays and unwillingness to compromise reflect the preoccupations of a predatory elite most concerned with remaining in power and enriching themselves from the country’s vast oil and other wealth,” she added.

The delay in implementing key provisions of the peace agreement, such as the unification of armed forces and establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, has left South Sudan in the grips of a humanitarian crisis. More than four million people remain displaced, and an estimated nine million South Sudanese, or three-quarters of the population, face unmet basic needs.

Sooka underscored that South Sudan’s leaders have “squandered the goodwill and practical advice” of the international community. She stressed the need for urgent action, stating, “Its political leaders must finally and urgently invest in delivering tangible democratic, protection, and human rights outcomes.”

The UN experts also criticized the government’s adoption of austerity measures, arguing that civil servants remain unpaid while essential services are underfunded. Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández warned that the dysfunctional justice system perpetuates impunity, allowing human rights violations to continue unaddressed.

“The latest two-year extension envisages ‘austerity measures’ – but this is in a context where most civil servants are already unpaid, while schools, health clinics and courts are not even receiving their woefully inadequate budget allocations,” Castresana stated.

“The vast theft of national revenue and its criminal diversion continues even with the interruption to oil exports this year,” he added. “South Sudanese want to see where their national revenue is going. They want to see the resources supporting services essential to building a democracy, such as reliable law enforcement and administration of justice institutions, to address conflicts, violence and corruption, and resolve disputes through adjudication.”

Commissioner Barney Afako highlighted the complex and interconnected challenges facing South Sudan, exacerbated by both internal and external factors. The ongoing war in neighboring Sudan has damaged a crucial oil pipeline, drastically reducing South Sudan’s national revenue. He stressed the need for South Sudan’s leadership to deliver tangible democratic protection of human rights.

“South Sudan faces a maelstrom of interlinked crises,” Afako said. “The damage to one of the oil export pipelines, linked to war in Sudan, has significantly reduced national revenue at a time when South Sudan hosts hundreds of thousands of newly displaced persons, including Sudanese refugees. South Sudan is also at the frontline of the climate crisis, with both flooding and drought adding to widespread deprivations and prolonged displacement.”

The Commission called on South Sudan’s government to prioritize transparency in implementing key reforms, including the establishment of a Truth, Reconciliation and Healing Commission and a Compensation and Reparation Authority.

The UN experts urged the international community to hold South Sudan’s leadership accountable and ensure the implementation of outstanding peace agreement tasks.