US Accuses South Sudan of Failing to Respond to and Adress Human Rights Violations

A recent report by the U.S Department of State has accused the government of South Sudan for failing to respond to human rights violations and address issues of corruption and good governance.

The report cited three most serious human rights problems in the country.

The violations included security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, rape, intimidation, and other inhumane treatment of civilians, journalists and civil society activists.

The report also accuses the army and the police of “arbitrary arrests and prolonged pre-trial detention including disappearance of politicians, religious leaders, and army officers in Juba and Wau.”

The department of state also deplored the conditions of detention centers in the country where prison conditions were harsh, life threatening, and overcrowded.

On corruption, the report faulted the government for failing to “amend previous laws vesting prosecutorial powers in the Ministry of Justice, which could have allowed the anti-corruption commission to prosecute corrupt officials.”

It further said the fight against corruption has been hindered by the fact that corruption is not defined in the transitional constitution or criminal code of South Sudan.

On the independence of judiciary, the report says statutory courts were subject to political pressure when trying anyone with strong associations to the SPLM, SPLA, or National Security Service.