Human Rights and Democracy Report 2017 - South Sudan

The human rights situation in South Sudan deteriorated in 2017, against the backdrop of continuing and widespread conflict, and of the erosion of justice and accountability mechanisms. The targeting of civilians on the basis of their ethnic identity, the pervasive use of rape, the recruitment of child soldiers, the displacement of civilian populations, and the clamping down on freedom of expression, all continued. In March, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported a significant increase in gross human rights violations and abuses, committed by all parties, and warned that ethnic cleansing was underway.

Human rights abuses and violations occurred alongside a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation: by September, six million South Sudanese people (56% of the population) lacked sufficient food. In November, the UN reported that the Government of South Sudan was using food as a weapon of war, and was deliberately preventing lifesaving assistance from reaching its citizens. With over four million people displaced, the conflict is driving the largest refugee crisis in Africa.

High levels of sexual and gender-based violence continued to be a hallmark of the conflict. A report in November by the Global Women's Institute[45], funded by DFID, found that up to 65% of women and girls living in conflict-affected zones had experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. 'Intimate partner violence' remained the most common form of violence reported by women and girls and conflict exacerbated this. Armed men used rape to terrorise communities, as victims were often disowned by their families and communities. Most citizens who were victims of sexual violence had no recourse through the courts to seek justice or to hold perpetrators to account.

The conflict had a particular impact on children. The recruitment of children as soldiers continued to be common, despite commitments by some commanders to end the practice. UNICEF estimated that armed groups recruited 19,000 children, while an estimated 900,000 were suffering from psychosocial distress.[46] The UN Commission on Human Rights said that UNICEF's figures probably underestimated the extent of grave violations which children endured. Children also continued to be severely affected by South Sudan's refugee crisis, accounting for 63% of all refugees from the country in 2017. 53% of girls are not in primary education[47] and recent estimates suggest female literacy rates are less than 20%. Through the Girls' Education in South Sudan programme, the UK supports over 3,600 schools to deliver basic education, helping to keep up to a quarter of a million girls in class.

South Sudan slipped to 145th out of 180 cited in the World Press Freedom Index, published annually by Reporters Without Borders. The authorities closed down media organisations, blocked websites, and subjected journalists to harassment and violence. Nine journalists have been killed in South Sudan since 2011, most recently in August, when US journalist Christopher Allen was killed during fighting between government and opposition forces.

Over the last year, the Media Authority has enforced the registration of media houses and journalists. The charges levied for the registration of media houses appeared to be set arbitrarily, and were often beyond the means of smaller community stations with lower incomes, further reducing the space in which the media operated. South Sudanese media continued to self-censor following years of repression. Most well-trained journalists have left the industry or the country as a result of harassment by the authorities.

UK policy focused on maximising the chances of success for the renewed peace process, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Without progress in this area, there is little hope for improvements in the dire human rights situation. A major diplomatic achievement in December was the signing of an agreement to a Cessation of Hostilities by all parties to the conflict, following the first round of peace talks. Nevertheless, fighting continued across the country.

Achieving a stable South Sudan which protects human rights will be an incremental process. In 2018, the peace process will remain our key priority, without which an improvement in the human rights situation is inconceivable. We will continue to work closely with our Troika partners (the US and Norway) to give the process the best chance of success, and to encourage IGAD to take strong action against those who seek to derail it. We are considering how the UK government can best lend support to IGAD to achieve this important aim. We will also continue to urge the Government of South Sudan and the African Union to expedite the establishment of much needed accountability and justice mechanisms, including the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. It is also vital that evidence of violations and abuses is preserved for use in a future court of law, so that the perpetrators of these crimes can be held to account. Through initiatives such as DFID's Girls' Education South Sudan programme we will continue to support longer-term development efforts.

[45] https://www.rescue-uk.org/sites/default/files/document/1580/southsudanlgsummaryreportonline.pdf

[46] https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/UNICEF_South_Sudan_Report_Childhood_under_Attack_15Dec_FINAL.pdf

[47] http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=edulit_ds