Maj. Gen. Bior Leek Kuareng, speaking on behalf of the Former Detainees at the 4th RJMEC Extraordinary Meeting held in Juba on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - Credit: Moses Awan/Eye Radio

A former political detainee has called for the immediate establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, citing ongoing fighting and a lack of accountability as serious obstacles to lasting peace.

Speaking at the 4th R-JMEC extraordinary meeting in Juba on Tuesday, Major General Bior Leek Kuareng described the recent sporadic clashes as a clear violation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

“I’m calling on the both parties to cease the hostility, to stop hostility, and to come back to implement the agreements to cease fire. This is my complaint.

He appealed to the international community to press for the formation of the Hybrid Court, arguing that it remains the only mechanism capable of addressing and processing all human rights violations committed during the conflict.

“Also, I’m appealing to the international community to look into a hybrid court because the formation of the hybrid court has installed, and that is only process that will bring back the peaceful process because today, there is a serious violation among the parties who are fighting on the grounds.

“And this that will be the only court that will manage and will process all the human violations in this country .”

Under Chapter 5 of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, the African Union and the government of South Sudan are mandated to establish an independent Hybrid Court to investigate and, where necessary, prosecute individuals responsible for violations of international law or relevant South Sudanese law since the conflict began in December 2013.

Seven years after the peace deal was signed—with a clear commitment to establish the tribunal—the court has yet to be formed, despite official approval by the government.