UN rights experts to make 12th visit to South Sudan next week

February 7, 2024 (GENEVA) – The independent experts of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan will make a five-day visit to the country next week.

Led by Yasmin Sooka with fellows Barney Afako and Carlos Castresana Fernandez, the team will be in South Sudan from February 12-16.

The visit reportedly comes at a critical time in South Sudan, as the country’s transition period under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement nears an end, with a new constitution and national elections planned by December 2024.

“They will meet Government officials, survivors of human rights violations, members of civil society, jurists, UN agencies and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The experts plan to discuss the human rights situation in South Sudan, including the Commission’s latest findings and recommendations,” reads a statement Sudan Tribune obtained.

A press conference organised by the Commission members will take place in Juba on February 16.

The Commission, according to the UN, will present its latest findings on the human rights situation in South Sudan to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next month.

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Commission which was established in March 2016 is mandated to investigate the situation of human rights in South Sudan and to make recommendations to prevent a deterioration of the situation.

(ST)