7 April 2014 - To equip formal and traditional legal officials with skills in human rights and court judgments, UNMISS began a three-day workshop today in Yambio, Western Equatoria State.

Opening the activity, which drew 40 judges, prosecutors, and traditional chiefs, Acting Governor Gibson Wande said the workshop was especially important in clearing up irregularities in court proceedings.

Mr. Wande noted that a lack of judges in the state had led to overcrowded prisons. He urged partners to support the government in separating juveniles from adults in prisons, as they learned criminal ways from older cellmates.

UNMISS State Coordinator Hataklti Hailu said UNMISS was in the country following more than two decades of civil war to ensure peace and act impartially during any conflict as well as to protect civilians.

He assured traditional chiefs that allegations against the mission during the country’s four-month conflict were untrue. One accused UNMISS of supplying opposition forces with weapons when a truck carrying them to Ghanaian peacekeepers in Bentiu, Unity, was seized in Lakes State.

Conflict erupted in South Sudan in Juba between government and opposition forces in mid-December 2013 and spread to several other states.

UNMISS Human Rights Officer James Fandas said his section would continue to organize workshops to strengthen the capacity of traditional leaders and judges. The next one is planned for greater Mundri, which includes Mundri West and East as well as Mvolo.