The government says it will cooperate with the African Union to speed up the establishment of the hybrid for South Sudan. 

The formation of the court to try suspects of atrocities committed during the conflict is one of the key provisions of the peace agreement.

Chapter Five of the Peace Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan stipulates that during the Transitional Period there shall be an independent hybrid judicial court for South Sudan established by the AU.

The court will investigate and prosecute individuals bearing the responsibility for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or other serious crimes under international laws, which are relevant to South Sudan.

The government’s statement on its readiness to facilitate the establishment of the hybrid court came in the joint communique with the delegation from the UN Security Council who met with President Salva Kiir in Juba Sunday night.

The Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr Martin Elia Lomoro, read out the statement during a press conference attended by President Salva Kiir and all the members of the Security Council’s delegation on Sunday.

“The Transitional Government of National Unity signals its readiness to implement Chapter Five of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan—including to work with the African Union in setting up the hybrid court for South Sudan as soon as the African Union provides proposal for its work as provided for in that agreement,” Dr Lomoro stated.

The US Ambassador to the United Nations and the co-team leader of the Security Council’s delegation to South Sudan, Samantha Power, urged the AU to present its proposal on the hybrid court.

She said: “I think that the challenge now is to ensure that this piece of paper becomes operationalized, that the AU comes and presents its proposals on the hybrid court and that gets operationalized, given the number of atrocities that have been carried out.

There have been numerous calls by civil society and rights groups urging the AU to expedite the formation of the hybrid court for South Sudan.

In August, the chairman of the US Congressional Committee on Africa and Global Human Rights, Christopher Smith, in an interview with Eye Radio also urged the AU to speed up the establishment of the hybrid court for South Sudan.