8 May 2013 - Aiming to control a meningitis outbreak in Upper Nile, the government was planning a vaccination campaign with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), officials said in Malakal today.

The state health officials confirmed that three people had died since the first case was reported on 12 April, while 87 other patients were receiving treatment at Malakal Teaching Hospital. The state ministry of health declared the outbreak on 30 April.

“Partners are boosting capacity at the Malakal hospital, including by establishing an isolation ward, and are monitoring neighbouring counties for an eventual further spread of the outbreak,” said a 5 May report from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarians Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan.

State Minister of Health Dr. Charles Yor Odhik called on the population to remain calm and report any suspected cases to health centres. He added that his ministry was waiting for vaccines from Juba.

According to the OCHA report, the vaccination campaign will target 150,000 people out of 220,000 living in Malakal County.

“We have identified 10 centers in Hai Tenmaia, Hai Salam and Hai Mathar areas (where) citizens (can) go (to receive) vaccinations,” said Dr. Odhik.

WHO medical officer Dr. Tesfaye Zewde said his organization was supporting the ministry with testing and drugs.

“WHO has supported the state ministry of health in taking samples to Nairobi for testing,” said Dr. Zewde. “We are also ... helping in transporting the vaccines.”

The OCHA report added that a community outreach campaign would also be rolled out to increase communities’ awareness of meningitis and help identify new cases as early as possible.

13 May 2013 – As security reform was a priority of the South Sudanese government, austerity measures had not affected disarmament programmes, a senior government official said in Juba today.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference, South Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Commission Chairperson William Deng Deng said the government had made significant financial contributions to the process at the height of the country’s economic woes.

“Security is an important pillar of nation building and the government demonstrated this by committing four million South Sudanese Pounds,” he said. “We expect to right-size the army by 2017.”

Mr. Deng said the pilot DDR programme, which had begun at the Mapel DDR Transitional Facility in Western Bahr El-Ghazal in April, was steadily progressing. The programme is spearheaded by the National DDR Council, now headed by President Salva Kiir.

He revealed that 190 ex-combatants from the Greater Bahr El-Ghazal region were currently undergoing training in different skills. More were expected to join until 31 May, when registration for the first caseload would end.

“Due to the weather, terrain and other logistical challenges, it has been difficult to get all 500 ex-combatants that we had targeted for the pilot,” he said.

UNMISS was supporting the programme with construction as well as transportation of staff and training materials. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was supporting the teaching programme, UNICEF was working with the Child DDR programme and the UN Development Programme was a key partner in reintegration.

The new DDR programme is targeting 150,000 ex-combatants from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and other organized forces over the next eight years. The DDR candidates will all receive training in different practical skills for three months to prepare them for transformation to civilian life.

“This programme is significantly different from the DDR of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) period,” said Mr. Deng. “The policy has been completely rewritten to reflect the reality in South Sudan as an independent nation.”

He noted that DDR candidates would continue to receive wages for a year, even as they underwent vocational training and support in their communities after reintegration, whereas during the CPA DDR, candidates only received a one-time “package”.

Mr. Deng said it was the lack of such support that had led to reports of ex-combatants rejoining the army after the CPA DDR programme.

“I must note, though, that the programme was still a successful one and one from which lessons were used in developing the new policy,’ he said.

Some 12, 5252 DDR candidates in Southern Sudan were disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated during this period.

DDR Commission Deputy Chairperson Majur Machar pointed out that the DDR process was different from civilian disarmament, with which it was regularly confused.

“Civilian disarmament is the removing of surplus unlicensed guns from communities and comes under a separate government bureau, the Community Security and Small Arms Control,” he said. “The DDR programme deals specifically with the organized forces.”

10 May 2013 - Rule of law was vital in building a legislative framework to tackle root causes of conflict and strengthen peace, an UNMISS official said in the Jonglei State capital Bor today.

Speaking at a workshop on traditional and formal legal systems, UNMISS Legal Affairs Officer Elizabeth Bakibinga said a new country like South Sudan had limited formal systems, which meant many cases must be resolved through chiefs’ courts.

“Conflict resolution is through customary mediation, compensation and restitution. You find that during conflict resolution, mediation by elders requires the consent of parties, not compulsion (enforced decisions),” said Ms. Bakibinga.

The Transitional Constitution recognized the co-existence of traditional authorities and their courts with the formal justice system, said Daniel Deng, head of legal administration in Jonglei.

He added that traditional authority could be modified to harmonize with the formal justice system.

“(Both the) Local Government Act and the Judiciary Act… state that judiciary powers are derived from the people,” Mr. Deng said, making it necessary for the two systems to work together.

Peter Gayer, a lawyer from the Nuer tribe said some rigid cultural practices should be adjusted. In his tribe, for example, more cows were paid as compensation for a man killed in conflict than for a woman who died in the same battle.

Some 30 participants, including traditional leaders, local government officials, members of Jonglei State Legal Administration Unit, lawyers, police and fire brigade representatives attended the workshop.

UNMISS officials also briefed participants on the role of the mission in consolidating peace and security, as well as protecting civilians.

Concerned about violence, looting and displacement of civilians in Pibor, Jonglei State, UNMISS called on the South Sudanese government to act immediately against the perpetrators in a statement released by the mission today.

“UNMISS is particularly alarmed by reports about the involvement … of allegedly defected and ill-disciplined members of security forces as well as by statements issued by David Yau Yau’s … armed group demanding civilians to leave the towns of Pibor … and Kapoeta in Eastern Equatoria State,” said the statement.

In addition to the “significant displacement of the civilian population out of Pibor”, the mission said it had also received reports of widespread looting of civilian dwellings and humanitarian organization premises.

“The Government of South Sudan has the primary responsibility to protect the population,” the statement said. “UNMISS has reported these incidents to the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) and has demanded, at the highest level, that necessary measures be taken urgently.”

The statement also noted that UNMISS had reinforced its presence in Pibor with additional troops and deployed a military unit to protect pre-positioned food stocks.

In a similar statement yesterday, South Sudan UNICEF chief and Acting Humanitarian Coordinator Yasmin Haque said she was alarmed that “once again, the civilian population of… Pibor town have fled for their safety in large numbers”.

Dr. Haque said aid organizations had seen armed, uniformed personnel taking apart homes and breaking into small shops where those who had fled the town had placed belongings for safekeeping.

“Food and household items, including nutritional supplements for malnourished children, were stolen from humanitarian common storage facilities, just a few hundred meters away from the town’s military barracks and county commissioner’s offices,” she said.

“We have been told by some of our NGO (non-governmental organization) colleagues that their compounds were completely looted, and that everything inside – even fixtures like solar panels – have been taken,” Dr. Haque added.

Condemning the incidents, she said such attacks against humanitarian facilities made it harder to provide live-saving assistance to people affected by hostilities. Humanitarian organizations had been forced to relocate their staff and “only a handful of aid workers” remained in Pibor.

“The humanitarian community stands ready to provide neutral and impartial assistance to all civilians in need,” Dr. Haque said. “This can only happen if all parties respect and facilitate humanitarian activities, in line with their obligations under national and international law.”

Seeking to improve their living conditions, UNMISS and the UN refugee agency in Upper Nile State donated non-food items to inmates at Malakal Central Prison today.

Receiving blankets, plates, cups, sleeping mats and soap from the mission and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Acting Prison Director John Othow Ador said the items would be very useful to prisoners.

“This is a clear (indicator) that you are really concerned about human rights issues,” said Maj. Ador.

UNMISS Human Rights Officer Sonny Onyegbula said his team had been monitoring the prison several times a week to assess the prisoners’ situation.

“We found out that there are vulnerable prisoners that lack non- food items, so we approached UNHCR and provided these items,” said Mr. Onyegbula.

He added that the UNMISS Human Rights Unit in the state would continue to advocate and coordinate with relevant partners to provide assistance to prisoners.

Aiming to enhance community access to justice, UNMISS completed a two-day training in case management and record keeping today for officials in Bor, Jonglei State.

Speaking at the workshop, UNMISS Judicial Affairs Officer Mike Dzakuma said the training would assist in tackling challenges at different levels of the justice chain.

“Challenges, such as delayed court cases and lack of coordination between prisons and judiciary, arise from poor record management,” he said. “The idea behind this training is to… see how to best manage cases.”

Some 25 officials from the police, judiciary and prisons attended the training, which was organized in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Rule of Law Unit.

Mr. Dzakuma said it was vital to have continuous training to cover all stages of the system, from police investigation to prosecution and sentencing in courts.

“Participants noted that in the past they were (mixing up) criminal justice and civil justice cases,” he said. “They will (now be able to) separate the two categories.”

He noted that the challenges were not exclusive to Jonglei State or South Sudan, but also happened in all other parts of the world.

Lazarus Jok, a Jonglei State High Court clerk, said the training would enable him to keep better track of files of recorded cases.

“The training is especially (useful) for me because I got this job when I came from Khartoum recently, but had no experience in record management,” said Ayen Michael, a new prison warden.

Judges in Unity State raised concerns today that customary (traditional) courts were hearing criminal cases that should fall to the state (formal) legal system, according to UN Radio Miraya.

High Court Judge William Kaya Pacifico said the terms of the Local Government Act were not being implemented. The Act, passed in 2009 limits traditional courts to trying customary cases only.

A senior customary court member, Chief Tungwar Kwe-guong, said traditional courts trying criminal cases were ignorant of the law.

The remarks came during a one-day UNMISS-hosted workshop in the capital Bentiu on traditional and formal justice systems, which focused on challenges facing the state’s legal system.

‘Independence of the judiciary is the most important principle in the law,” Judge Kaya said. “Customary courts are appointed by executive power - the state government- and this raises questions about their independence.”

Bentiu (traditional) Town Court head Chief Juoi Machar said customary courts’ independence should be regulated by agreements between formal judiciary organs and executives. It was up to commissioners and High Court judges in the state to implement the Local Government Act.

Emphasizing that some progress had been, UNMISS Judicial Affairs Officer Robert Mugisha said police, traditional authorities and prison personnel had begun to understand rule of law and how it should be applied in their work.
But the number of judicial personnel was inadequate, he said, with only two formal judges and three public prosecutors in the entire state.

The event brought together the state High Court President and chiefs serving on customary benches as well as representatives from civil society, police, correction services, military courts and media.

Topics included laws, legal institutions, human rights and their position in customary laws, delivery of justice for children, formal and traditional courts’ powers and jurisdiction as well as the media’s role in promoting rule of law.

So far, UNMISS Justice Advisory Section has been the only organization involved in the capacity building of legal system actors in Unity State.

Seeking to prevent cattle raiding and the killing of innocent civilians, a group of parliamentarians from Lakes State visited Unity today to discuss border security with their counterparts.

Led by Lakes Advisor for Border Elizabeth Poth Domich, the delegation was following up on recommendations put forth during a teleconference last month between the two states and Warrap.

During today’s meeting, parliamentarians from border constituencies in Unity and Lakes agreed to return raided cattle.

“We agreed that rounding up of cattle raided and returning them to rightful owners should be … practiced by the governments of the two states,” said Unity State legislator Peter Dak Kan.

The meeting also recommended that the governors of Lakes, Unity and Warrap carry out peaceful disarmament in their respective areas simultaneously, that police be immediately deployed along the three borders and a border court created.

At last month’s teleconference, Lakes State lawmaker Isaac Makur Buoc called on Unity and Warrap \to follow the example of his legislative assembly, which had passed a bill requiring residents to register all firearms in their possession.

The legislation also confers more powers on state and county authorities to disarm anyone who does not comply with the bill or has engaged in cattle raids and other violent crimes.

“To end this cattle rustling, we need to put some laws in place,” said Mr. Buoc. “I am appealing to you … to urgently create laws that will forbid the civilian population from carrying arms… as we did here in Lakes State.”

Last month’s teleconference was facilitated by UNMISS as part of the mission’s mandate to support peace building tasks throughout the country.

21 May 2013 - Guns and their use during cattle raids were a key concern in Warrap State, Governor Nyangdeng Malek told UNMISS officials in the capital Kuajok today.

“Guns are giving us major problems,” Ms. Malek said. “Cattle raiders are using guns during raids, causing the deaths of many civilians.”

Speaking with Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary-General (DSRSG) Raisedon Zenenga and other senior officials, the governor called on UNMISS to support the state with civilian disarmament.

She also asked the mission to assist with training of auxiliary police to patrol areas vulnerable to cattle raiding and in gaining access to remote areas, particularly during the rainy season when roads are impassable.

Mr. Zenenga said UNMISS would support the state in mitigating conflict and protecting civilians. “UNMISS through the UNPOL police advisors will continue to pursue professional development of the state police service, train and mentor police officers to provide a better service to the civilian population.”

The DSRSG added that training alone was insufficient for an effective police service, but should be complimented by infrastructure and suitable working conditions.

The meeting also focused on efforts by the Warrap government to quell violence by setting up special courts to arbitrate cattle raiding cases as well as its continued presence in affected areas to discourage revenge attacks.

Warrap State has been plagued by cattle raiding, particularly in the southern part of the state bordering Unity and Lakes States. UNMISS statistics indicate that 152 people in the state have lost their lives in cattle raids since December 2012.

24 May 2013 - Educating lawmakers in the rights of vulnerable persons, UNMISS concluded a two day workshop today in the Upper Nile capital of Malakal.

The training, which drew 46 parliamentarians, covered the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, South Sudan Transitional Constitution and Upper Nile State Constitution.

The workshop focused on rights of vulnerable groups indicated in constitutions as well the human rights protocols.

“We learned all protocols that were signed by the Republic of South Sudan .. related to Human rights, (and the) CEDAW Protocol … on eliminating discrimination against women,” said Chairperson for Gender and Social welfare Makiya Saned.

UNMISS State Coordinator Deborah Schein and Deputy Speaker of the House Chuol Dep Kir urged lawmakers to join efforts on issues related to human rights as specified in the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.

24 May 2013 - Sudanese nomads currently grazing in Unity state have agreed with their hosts to pay compensation of 75 cattle for intentional killing and 50 for unintentional murder.

The agreement was reached during a three-day migration workshop in Bentiu, which ended today.

Misseriya Senior Chief Khier Ismail Khier said the conference had sparked a new feeling of coexistence and peace among nomads and host communities, which he hoped would continue.

Unity Deputy Governor Michael Chanjiak Gai said the government would help implement agreements between nomads and hosts, but pointed to challenges in doing so.

“Let us focus on how we can create places where the nomads can settle instead of coming to the host communities,” Mr. Gai said. “This could result in peace and reduce violent interactions.”

“One of the proposals is to create a court, but we need to have some facilities for the courts and deploy police and boreholes deep in the bush,” he added.

The workshop, which drew participants from Rubkona, Mayom, Abiemnom and Pariang counties of Unity State as well as Misseriya and Falata nomads, was financed by USAID and supported by UNMISS.

27 May 2013 - Focusing on the security situation in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal, the top UNMISS official in the state met today in Aweil North County with the military commander from the UN Interim Forces for Abyei (UNISFA).

UNISFA Force Commander Yohannes Tesfa Mariam and UNMISS State Coordinator Seth Kumi held talks with local authorities in Gok Machar, including Country Commissioner Kuol Athuai Hal, Sudan People’s Liberation Army Commander James Akoch and two paramount chiefs of the area.

Commander Mariam said the purpose of his visit was to familiarize himself with the situation of Mile 14, a disputed border area that South Sudan declared sovereignty over after its independence from Sudan in 2011.

Commissioner Kuol Athuai Hal said he had come to assess border issues, including IDPs displaced during a recent attack at Kiir Adem. “Their situation is now good. “The international organizations are taking care of them, and they have received food rations, non-food items and tools for cultivation.”

SPLA Commander Akoch pointed to payams (districts) north of the Kiir River that were now unprotected, as the SPLA had withdrawn from the area.

Mr. Kumi’s main purpose for visiting was to assess construction progress on the Aweil North UNMISS County Support Base. He noted that the base was important due to its proximity with the Sudanese border, but added that its remoteness and bad roads had hindered construction.

3 June 2013 - South Sudanese police have added airport security to the growing list of skills they have picked up over the past few months with assistance from UN Police.

The country’s first 50 Airport Police Officers of the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) graduated from a one-week training course at Juba International Airport today.

The European Union Aviation Security (EUAVSEC) mission conducted the Basic Aviation Security course, selecting 50 officers from the UNMISS-trained Diplomatic Protection Unit.

The aviation training aimed to empower officers in preventing illegal interference against airports, aircraft, crew and passengers.

“Without a fully functioning civil aviation with international standards, South Sudan cannot be expected to attract new airline traffic and boost trade,” said Capt. Desmond Ross, Acting Head of the EUAVSEC Mission.

As a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), South Sudan was under surveillance to ensure compliance with required aviation standards, he added.

Although the Airport Police was meant to be a separate specialized unit, the urgent need for aviation security prompted the decision to train officers from the Diplomatic Protection Unit, already trained by UN Police (UNPOL) in some necessary skills.

Since October 2012, UNPOL has trained 150 officers of the Diplomatic Protection Unit to protect the international community, and provided logistical assistance as well as mentoring after deployment.

“Airport security is not up for discussion. We must agree that it is a solid ingredient in the development of any country,” said UN Police Commissioner Frederick Yiga.

UN Police has also assisted the SSNPS with training in a myriad of other skills, ranging from controlling traffic to collecting revenue and combating cattle raiding.

Some 53 national and Central Equatoria State police graduated in Juba from an UNPOL-organized course in traffic and accident control on 24 May. Topics covered in the three-week training included accident reporting, police response mechanisms, community policing, minimizing force against civilians, and alerting suspects before their arrest.

In another six-month UNPOL-assisted course, the first batch of 371 SSNPS immigration officers graduated in Juba on 21 May as revenue collectors.

The 41 women and 330 men took their oaths of office before President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Minister of Interior Major General Alison M. Magaya.

Opening the event, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan Daniel Deng Bul advised graduates, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

President Kiir also warned the officers against corrupt practices, wherever they were posted. “If you see my lorry loaded with goods or a new Mercedes Benz that belongs to Salva Kirr in one of our border entry points, arrest it and let me pay. That will be an example.”

Minister of Interior Maj. Gen. Alison Monani Magaya said the graduation was “another step in the transformation of the police into a professional and well-disciplined … service.”

Following an additional two-month training in security challenges posed by cattle-raiding, a second batch of 29 SSNPS graduated as members of a Livestock Patrol Unit (LPU) in Malou, Jonglei State, on 18 April.

The LPU is a collaborative effort between the SSNPS, UNMISS, the UN Development Programme and partners, including the governments of Canada, Luxembourg, and the United States, to prevent and combat cattle-raiding in Jonglei.

The rigorous course included physical training, English lessons, field craft, map reading, South Sudanese law, memory training and observation, and criminal interrogation techniques.

"This Livestock Patrol Unit has … curbed cattle raiding and will continue to curb such practices,” Jonglei State Commissioner of Police Maj. General Moses Majok Adol said in a written statement.

The first batch of 42 LPU members, who graduated in February, have already leant weight to the Commissioner’s claim. Malou LPU Commander Col. Marco Matiop Riak reported on 5 April that one of his units had stopped a group of cattle raiders and recovered several heads of cattle in Jam village, Jonglei.

6 June 2013 - Residents of Pibor, Jonglei State, felt safe when they were inside the UNMISS compound during conflict, County Commissioner Moses Ajak Pjoch said at his office in the town today.

Local government officials in Pibor appreciated UNMISS support in protecting civilians during periods of crisis, Mr. Pjoch said. “(UNMISS) is also doing patrols in the area (and when) … people see the patrols, they feel safe."

Since October 2012, hundreds of civilians fleeing from violence in the area have sought refuge at the UNMISS base in Pibor.

The mission had a permanent presence on the ground, sending out five to six patrols to Pibor town and one or two further out into the market area daily, according to UNMISS Spokesperson Ariane Quentier.

UNMISS was also providing transport for government officials and medical evacuation for those requiring it. According to Ms. Quentier, UNMISS had evacuated about 160 people from Jonglei State in the last 12 months.

“UNMISS only undertakes casualty evacuations of non-UN personnel when there is a critical medical requirement and no other humanitarian option is available,” she said. “UNMISS does not make any distinction on the origin of the casualties.”

Mr. Pjoch noted that the mission had also assisted the government in resuming operations in Boma, following hostilities in the area in recent weeks.

A press release issued by the mission on 2 June noted that UNMISS had conducted a one-day mission to Boma to conduct an assessment of the security situation.

“It is important that all efforts are made to improve the security situation and promote reconciliation within the community, as well as ensure that the local authorities are able to function properly again,” the statement said. “UNMISS stands ready to provide support to this end. “

5 June 2013 - Aiming to increase journalists’ knowledge of ethics when reporting on children, UNICEF organized a two-day workshop that ended today in Upper Nile State.

The workshop, held in the state capital Malakal, discussed media guidelines that seek to protect children’s rights when interviewing, reporting on and taking photographs of them.

“These guidelines strive for standards of excellence in terms of accuracy and sensitivity when reporting on issues involving children,” said UNICEF Communication Officer Mercy Kolok. “(They) ensure verification of information provided by children …takes place without putting child informants at risk.”

Recognizing that reporting on children could place them at risk of retribution or stigmatization, UNICEF developed several principles to assist journalists in covering young people in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner. These include respecting the dignity and rights of children in any circumstance and protecting their interests over any other consideration.

Some 30 participants attended the workshop, which also covered the 2008 South Sudan Child Act.

“Most of the journalists in Upper Nile are not informed on the protection of children’s rights and the Child Act… That’s why children are not given their rights in our state,” said Peter John from Sout-el Muhaba (Voice of Love) radio.

David Igulu, head of UNICEF in Malakal, said his office was ready to support journalists by providing more training and logistical assistance.

7 June 2013 – In what has become a regular tradition, UNMISS Kenyan Battalion peacekeepers donated blood to children and pregnant women at Aweil Civil Hospital today.

Some 14 soldiers participated in the current exercise in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State. More than 40 Kenyans have donated blood to the same hospital between January and March this year.

“We usually do this as charity … because we are brothers and sisters,” said Kenyan laboratory technologist Enoch Torotich. “I urge everyone (to) visit (a) health facility, know your blood level and donate blood to save lives.”

He urged the local population to donate blood as well, saying that donors would become their “brothers’ keepers”.

The blood donation exercise in Aweil comes just ahead of the tenth anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, which is celebrated on 14 June every year.

The day is commemorated to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and its products and to thank voluntary donors, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

With the slogan “Give the gift of life: donate blood”, this year’s campaign will focus on the value of donated blood in saving lives and also helping people live longer and more productively, according to the WHO website.

10 June 2013 - Concluding a brick-molding project today in Pariak, Jonglei State, UNMISS and the state government handed out buckets, carpets, wheelbarrows, shovels, brick molds, helmets, gumboots and gloves to 38 participants.

The brick project, begun in November 2012, was carried out in coordination with the South Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (SSDDRC), according to UNMISS DDDR Jonglei Coordinator Olaide Omideyi.

A training officer from the River Nile Institute, Ogeto Kennedy, who helped implement the project, said 38 of the original 50 participants had graduated with certificates and received tools.

Participants had produced 20,000 bricks and were currently looking for a market to sell them, he said.

Jonglei State SSDDRC Director Michael Malual noted that jobless women could help their families through the project.

“Women (were) the target of this training,” he said. “Now that it is finished … they will be able to work on their own to produce … bricks and sell (them) at the market or use them for building their houses.”

Participant Mary Nyanwut said she would use the tools to continue making bricks. “I am happy that we shall go home with our tools. These will help us continue ... to help our children and families.”

The project was one of five UNMISS DDR-organized livelihood activities. Other groups are focusing on poultry farming, shop management and (two) on vegetable growing.

13 June 2013 - South Sudan was determined to be removed from the UN Secretary-General’s list of parties recruiting and using children in armed conflict, a top official in its army said today in Juba.

The South Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) had stopped recruiting children, although vulnerable children wanting assistance were still seeking refuge in the military, Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Child Protection Unit Chief Brig. Gen. Chaplain Khamis told to the national legislative assembly lobby group on children at an UNMISS workshop on child protection.

“We have many children who are orphans or not receiving proper care in their communities still trying to join us,” he said. “SPLA child protection officers constantly monitor their units and report any cases to the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Commission.”

He stressed that child protection was a responsibility across all spheres of leadership in South Sudan.

“We urge you parliamentarians to raise awareness among the communities you represent.

South Sudan signed an agreement with the UN in March 2012, renewing a commitment to release all children from its ranks, following an earlier action plan in 2008. Since 2003, the SPLA has been included on the UN Secretary-General’s list of parties to conflict that reportedly recruit and use children.

Members of the parliamentary lobby group on children noted logistical challenges the SPLA faced in raising awareness among communities and pledged to give the necessary support.

“We also need more workshops like this one so that we can get more acquainted with international conventions and learn more about outreach skills,” said Mary Nawai, chairperson of the voluntary legislative assembly association that advocates for child rights.

Officials from UNMISS Child Protection and Human Rights sections discussed various topics with the lawmakers, including different international treaties governing child rights, justice for children in South Sudan and strategies to get messages to the grassroots.

Participants called for speedy and fair trials for children in detention, as well as the need for separate specialized laws for juvenile justice procedures.

“It is a great opportunity for us to understand some of these treaties now, as we prepare to develop a permanent constitution,” said Benjamin Alek Alier. “When the time comes to pass that constitution, we shall be able to make informed decisions.”

The workshop came ahead of the Day of the African Child on 16 June. The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Eliminating harmful social and cultural practices that affect children”.

27 June 2013 - Since attaining independence, South Sudan has made important strides in establishing the necessary institutions for responding to the human rights needs of its people, UNMISS Human Rights Director Ibrahim Wani said in Juba today.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop for National Legislative Assembly members, Mr. Wani said that enshrining a Bill of Rights in the country’s Transitional Constitution, as well as establishing a functioning South Sudan Human Rights Commission (SSHRC) and specialized committees in the national and state legislative assemblies, were some of the more positive developments.

“Despite the progress… a need still exists for strengthening the actual implementation of these measures in the everyday life of the average South Sudanese,” he said.

Mr. Wani, who is also the representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in South Sudan, noted that the legislators’ work in passing laws and overseeing government was critical in helping to ensure respect for human rights. As such, it was important for the lawmakers to keep abreast of developments in the field, he added.

“Recent human rights reports seem to suggest that the situation is deteriorating,” he said. “I want to underscore that facing a challenge is not defeat. The challenges faced by South Sudan are not unique. Governments around the world struggle to give full effect to human rights.”

National Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Daniel Awet Akot said that although the government did not deny that there had been human rights violations, it was important that those who made recommendations also understand the difficulties faced in their implementation.

“We are listening to these reports and learning from past mistakes,” he said. “We also need to educate our people. As parliamentarians, it is our duty to engage in constitutional dialogue to better understand the issues on the ground.”

Outlining human rights challenges in the country, SSHRC Deputy Chairperson Biel Jock Thich said he appreciated the efforts of parliamentarians and called for greater cooperation between his commission and the legislative branch of government.

“A lot needs to be done to enact laws and review existing ones,” he said. “While the Commission considers promotion and protection of human rights central to effective delivery of basic services … restoration of security is a prerequisite to development.”

29 June 2013 – The appointment of judges drawn from the country’s formal justice system to preside over two recently established special courts in Unity State will improve the rule of law, the state’s High Court President William Kaya Pacifico said in Bentiu today.

Judge Pacifico spoke at a one-day training workshop that was organized for 21 officials of those special courts with support from the UNMISS Justice Advisory Section.

Inaugurated in the Unity State counties of Mayom and Leer on 30 May, these special courts were created to adjudicate cases of inter-communal conflict. Headed by county-level judges, the tribunals also include traditional chiefs.

“Working alongside the formal judges will help the chiefs to better understand how to deliver and administer justice,” said Judge Pacifico.

The training workshop in the Unity State capital focused on the principles of fair trial, justice administration, investigations and evidence management.

“Knowing the law … (empowers) me because I’m sure what I do is according to the law and nobody can tell me to do otherwise,” said Rebecca Daklat Kuenywar, a traditional chief.

Ms. Kuenywar noted that the leadership of judges from the country’s formal justice system in those special courts would also enhance the tribunals’ independence.

“I have learnt today what it means to be impartial as a judge and that the proxy detentions are against the law,” she said, referring to the practice of arresting the relative of a suspect whose whereabouts are unknown.