Delay in formation of a hybrid court in South Sudan will affect the ability to get accurate evidence to hold perpetrators accountable, an Amnesty International campaigner has said.

Nyagoah Tut, campaigner for South Sudan and Sudan, says people might forget what they witnessed and evidence could be erased.

“Experiences over the world on accountability has indeed shown that people tend to forget the event in a historical or in a timely manner and also that in continuing conflict, physical evidence can be forgotten, can be lost or can even be misplaced or hidden,” Ms Tut argues.

Since the peace agreement was signed in August last year, the AU and South Sudanese authorities have made little progress in setting up the court, according to the human rights group.

It says hostilities have continued and recently escalated, further worsening the human rights situation for millions of South Sudanese people.

“We are urging the African union Commission to take steps to ensure that investigation of those suspected of criminal accountability takes place now and that the hybrid court is operationalized,” she added.

The peace agreement requires the African Union to set up a hybrid court for South Sudan to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of committing crimes since the conflict began in December 2013.