Ruben Madol, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs speaking during a meeting with Judiciary Reform committee on Sat, 9th March 2024. (Photo/Charles Wote/Eye Radio).

The government has outlined three preconditions for UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of its Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS), including providing evidence and names of individuals and entities it accuses of human rights violations.

Justice Minister Ruben Madol Adol made the statement in Geneva on February 28 – after several rights groups called on the UN Human Rights Council to extend CHRSS mandate for it to continue its work in South Sudan.

“The commission share evidence and names of the individuals and entities accused of human rights violations, to enable the government to evaluate the evidence with a view of addressing them through accountability,” he said to the 58th HRC session.

The CHRSS mandate is about to expire after being most recently renewed for one year in April 2024 during the Human Rights Council’s 55th session.

Minister Madol also added that the commission should also relinquish its power of investigation to the government and the UN Mission in South Sudan.

Further, he said his government rejects the commission’s mandate to monitor the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, which according to him, is the role of peace monitoring mechanism R-JMEC.

“In case these positions are accepted, the government is willing to accept the renewal of the commission’s mandate for a period of one year only.”

CHRSS was established by the Human Rights Council for a one-year term in March 2016, mandating it to determine and report facts and circumstances of alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes in the country.

This involves collecting and preserving evidence as well as clarifying responsibility for alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence and ethnic violence, with a view to ending impunity and providing accountability.

On February 20, London-based Amnesty International urged member states of the HRC to renew CHRSS mandate for a period of at least two years, saying Juba has yet to implement meaningful and durable reforms and improve human rights.

The rights watchdog said it made the appeal in support of similar calls by over 100 South Sudanese and international civil society organizations ahead of the upcoming 58th session of the HRC which discusses the situation in South Sudan.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect appealed for extension of the mandate of the CHRSS in full to enable the experts to pursue investigations and work in support of accounta­bility and justice.

CHRSS said in its latest report that South Sudan’s political leaders must address the impunity and corruption that fuels gross human rights violations, or risk jeopardising the country’s political transition.

“It is unconscionable that so many years after its independence, political leaders continue their violent contestations across the country, and are abjectly failing the people of South Sudan,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.