UPPER NILE - In Renk, a town in the far north of South Sudan, a new mobile court has finally brought justice to a place where it has been absent for far too long.

Since hearings began on 30 January 2025, the court, supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), national and state judiciary, and international partners, has heard 60 cases, some involving inmates who have been detained in prison without trial since 2021.

Two High Court judges, deployed from Wau and Juba, convicted 42 offenders while 20 individuals were acquitted or had their cases dismissed. Thirteen convictions related to sexual and gender-based violence, with 10 involving child rape, including a three-year-old victim.

“If the accused man can’t accept the impact of what he did, he must go to prison. This is my belief, because I don’t know what consequences might be experienced by my child in the long-term,” says the mother of a rape survivor. “Even if he apologizes for his crime, something bad may happen to my child and I cannot afford the burden and responsibility for this. So, I say let him face the sentence he is given for his crime.”

Decades of conflict in South Sudan have devastated infrastructure and displaced populations, forcing communities to mostly rely on traditional courts. However, mobile courts are now providing a temporary extension of the formal judicial system, delivering justice directly to underserved communities, and reinforcing the rule of law where it is most needed.

“Since 2021, the Renk County Court has faced a lot of challenges due to the lack of a High Court Judge. Pending cases were rising, including murder, rape and drug abuse, and the prisons were very congested,” says prosecutor, Roufeita Zubeir Mohamed Nur. “The deployment of the mobile court is helping reduce the burden created by the delay of so many cases and ensuring that justice is delivered.”

To support the process in Renk, the victims, witnesses and accused were provided with psycho-social support as well as free legal representation.

“I’m confident that all the court hearings for my clients went the right way according to the law,” said defense lawyer, Chol Chuil Amian. “The judges concentrated on the cases according to each legal article relating to the crimes the accused were alleged to have committed. While some received prison sentences, others were acquitted.”

Similar mobile courts, deployed in Unity, Western Bahr El Ghazal, and Warrap, have helped change attitudes towards sexual violence and children's rights and instill hope in communities that fair trials are possible, and perpetrators will be held accountable. This is demonstrated by the fact that new cases are being registered by people in the wake of the hearings because they have more confidence that the system will be transparent and robust. 

“The mobile court in Renk brought together all the civilian, military, police and local authorities. Their presence throughout the hearings gave confidence to the people that all parts of the government and political parties were behind this justice effort,” says Anees Ahmed, UNMISS Chief of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Section. “Given the success of the court, such efforts will continue in different parts of the country, as and when they are required.”

In addition to supporting the courts, UNMISS is providing technical support, training and new infrastructure to help transform all South Sudan’s justice chain in the longer term, including strengthening community policing, building the capacity of judicial, corrections and prison officers, as well as constructing police posts and courthouses.