Photo taken during the rainy season shows aerial view of Leer town. (Photo credit: Chuol Jany).

LEER, UNITY STATE, (Eye Radio) – Unity State Governor Justice Riek Bim and national government officials are expected in Leer County on April 15, 2025, to inaugurate the first mobile constitutional court there in more than a decade to deliver formal justice to the local communities.

The government is deploying judges, prosecutors, and investigators there in a joint initiative of the Judiciary of South Sudan, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and Unity State government.

The mobile court program – which has also been set up in other parts of the country – is supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The mobile court in Leer will run from 15th April to 9th May and aims to address serious criminal cases, including murder, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and forced and early marriage in Leer.

UNMISS said in a statement that Governor Riek Bim and senior representatives from the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS), and National Prisons Service of South Sudan (NPSSS) are expected to join the opening of the court on 15 April.

The deployment follows the training of 20 new investigators in southern Unity, with a focus on handling SGBV and CRSV-related offences.

On 28 March, UNMISS facilitated the advance deployment of prosecutors and investigators to begin receiving and processing criminal complaints.

More than 60 cases had already been reported prior to the arrival of the court, and additional cases are expected to follow. The court is expected to handle a combination of criminal and civil matters.

“Mobile courts, while not a substitute for formal justice structures, play a vital and innovative role in restoring public faith in South Sudan’s rule of law architecture,” said Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political), UNMISS.

The Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience (RSRTF) and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba have provided financial resources for the Leer mobile court.

Since 2013, sustained conflict and insecurity have forced the withdrawal of judges from Unity State.

In their absence, residents have relied entirely on customary courts to resolve disputes, including serious crimes beyond their jurisdiction. Leer county, one of the areas hardest hit by conflict, has had no access to formal justice mechanisms for over a decade.

In 2024, UNMISS supported the government in deploying four mobile courts across Unity State, including the first courts in Koch and Mayom counties since independence.

While no cases were decided by the formal justice system in Unity State in 2023, judges decided 257 cases in 2024. The growing demand for justice also prompted the Governor to support a mobile court in Bentiu in December 2024.