International peace experts have suggested that the UN Security Council should refer the case of South Sudan to the International Criminal Court if the warring parties do not end the war. 

A one-day expert seminar on the crisis in South Sudan was held at the University College of Roosevelt in the Netherlands on Tuesday to discuss possible solutions to the conflict.

The experts said going to the I-C-C should be the last resort to end the crisis, if the two warring parties do not end the violence.

One of the organizers of the seminar, Anneloes Hoof, spoke exclusively to Eye Radio from the Netherlands:

“The feeling of the panelists was that involvement of the Security Council and the ICC should be a measure of last resort, and not something that we should try and pursue at this point, because there are investigations going of the [African Union] Commission of Inquiry, and of other judicial bodies,” said Madam Hoof.

“And having an additional investigation of the ICC would only mean an additional mayor, and at this point, the panelists did not see the great added value to this but see much more in a version of a hybrid court or in other local on-going solutions that involves South Sudanese judicial system.”

Madam Hoof said the panelists also suggested that there should be accountability in the oil sector, calling for more transparency in the management of oil revenue.

“What the panelists agreed to] is that the role of the oil sector is very important at the moment, because oil revenues are one of the main sources that allow the war to be ongoing, allow the conflict to happen and that raises the question of accountability.”

Madam Hoof said the panelists were concerned that the money generated from the oil is used for purchasing weapons.