RENK/JUBA, 30 January 2024 – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is supporting the Judiciary of South Sudan and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to deploy the first Mobile Court to Renk Town from 30 Jan to 22 February 2025.

The Mobile Court will try 52 serious cases for inmates held in the Renk County Prison since 2021, 12 of which include alleged sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) offences.

This initiative will allow South Sudan to dispense formal justice to its citizens irrespective of where they live and to hold perpetrators accountable.

Decades of conflict, civil wars, and multiple crises have devastated infrastructure and displaced populations, forcing communities to rely on traditional courts. In many cases, this has led to a denial of justice for the most vulnerable populations who have the least access to redress.

Mobile Courts provide a temporary extension of the formal judicial system, deliver justice directly to underserved communities, and reinforce the rule of law where it is most needed.

For the mobile court in Renk, the Judiciary of South Sudan will deploy two High Court Judges, including one female, from Juba and Wau to Renk Town. The mobile court will utilize existing judicial actors and prosecutors, investigators and other police officers to conduct investigations of the cases under trial, present cases in court, and provide security to the judges and detainees.

These mobile courts, which have been previously deployed in Unity, Western Bahr El Ghazal, and Warrap in 2024 and 2023, are transforming justice delivery, changing attitudes towards sexual violence and children's rights, and instilling hope in communities that fair trials are possible, and perpetrators face justice.

“The mobile courts are an innovative solution for the delivery of justice to South Sudanese citizens and build credibility and trust in the rule of law,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the Secretary General to South Sudan and Head of UNMISS. “The outcomes of past mobile courts, supported by UNMISS, have led to new cases being registered by people who have more confidence that justice will be served.”

As part of its mandate to protect civilians, particularly women and children, and prevent conflict related sexual violence and sexual and gender-based violence, UNMISS supports multiple government partners by providing training and building capacity.

This includes providing technical support to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to build capacity on human rights, accountability and the fight against impunity.

UNMISS provides trainings on human rights investigation, including conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence, targeting justice chain actors and security institutions, including the National Prison Service, the National Security Service and the National Police Service.
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Contact: UNMISS Spokesperson at unmiss-spokesperson@un.org