Unity State governor Riek Bim (dark suits) speaks at the launch of a mobile court in Leer County. April 15, 2025. (Photo: UNMISS).

LEER, UNITY STATE, (Eye Radio) – The mobile court that the government and partners established in Leer County in Unity State is set to begin operations on Wednesday and hear a backlog of serious criminal cases.

The mobile court initiative is part of ongoing efforts to improve access to justice in remote areas and tackle serious crimes that have gone unaddressed due to limited judicial infrastructure.

Unity State Police Spokesperson Captain John Malieth Kual said the court will handle 57 cases, including 35 murder cases, eight rape cases, and three cases related to forced marriage. Additional cases involving serious physical injury will also be heard.

Captain Malieth said investigations into these cases began on March 28, and court hearings are scheduled to start tomorrow, April 16, running through to May 9.

The police spokesperson said the court team includes two high court judges, two prosecutors, and three defense lawyers.

“From the beginning of the mission, we investigated the cases here in Leer County. We have 57 cases included the murder cases we have, we have rape cases and also, we have almost 35 for the murder cases,” Malieth said.

He added that the court is supported by a team of five investigators including two from Juba and one from Bentiu, along with two trained local investigators and three court clerks.

“We have 8 cases for the rape cases and we have three a force marriage. We have another case for example like serious injury, the hearing of court cases will start tomorrow on that 16th April 2025 up to 9 May.”

“We have three investigators, and we have a two local investigator in the county that we trained last time. We have a two prosecutors, a complainant’s lawyer, three defense lawyers. We have a two high court judge. We have a three court clerk.”

The mobile court initiative in Leer will run for one month, with financial support from the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience (RSRTF) and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba.

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.

The state governor, Justice Riek Bim was in Leer on Tuesday, to inaugurate the first mobile constitutional court there in more than a decade.