Following the agreement to form the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan and the appointment of five vice presidents including opposition leader Riek Machar, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena said:
“During more than six years of conflict, civilians in South Sudan have been displaced, raped, maimed, tortured and killed. Security forces, including the intelligence agency, and armed groups including those allied to both President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar have committed atrocities with impunity.
During more than six years of conflict, civilians in South Sudan have been displaced, raped, maimed, tortured and killed. Security forces, including the intelligence agency, and armed groups including those allied to both President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar have committed atrocities with impunity.
Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa
“Since 2013, the authorities have failed to investigate and prosecute crimes under international law in relation to the conflict. They also failed to amend the 2014 National Security Service Act and reform the security service leaving the abusive institution to operate unchecked.
“For accountability and justice to be done, the forthcoming government must re-commit to working with the African Union to set up the hybrid court agreed to in previous peace agreements and ratify the requisite laws to make it operational. It must also amend the National Security Service Act to rein in the overly-powerful agency, which has arbitrarily detained and tortured hundreds of people since the crisis began.”
Since the peace agreement was signed in 2015, South Sudanese authorities have blocked the establishment of the Hybrid Court of South Sudan (HCSS).