Juba, South Sudan,
July 14, 2021 – The United States government says it has thrown financial weight behind the establishment of the Hybrid Court to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to a report released on Monday in line with Section 5 of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018, the South Sudanese government has committed extrajudicial killings, violence based on ethnic identity, and using food as a weapon of war.
“In South Sudan, the State (Department) coordinated financial and political support to establish an African Union hybrid court to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the report reads in part.
“The government has perpetrated extrajudicial killings including ethnic-based killings of civilians, widespread sexual violence, and use of food as a weapon of war. Non-government armed groups also perpetrated unlawful killings, rape, sexual slavery, and forced recruitment of children,” it emphasized.
African Union and the United Nations have separately documented all crimes in the East African nation.
“In February 2021, Secretary Blinken stated those responsible for human rights violations in South Sudan must be held to account. The AU Commission of Inquiry and the UN Commission on Human Rights for South Sudan have documented atrocities,” the report read.
The report says the State Department maintains its support in the documentation of atrocities committed by war profiteers.
“State (Department) continues to support civil society documentation to further truth, justice, and accountability and advocate for a robust mandate for the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan to collect and preserve evidence. USAID supports civil society and independent media to promote political stability, peacebuilding, and citizen’s participation in, and oversight of, peace agreement implementation,” it noted.
According to the report, the Joe Biden Administration is committed to promoting a democratic system of governance in line with the international system critical to freedom, prosperity, and peace.
The Security Council revived the arms embargo, and travel ban imposed on South Sudan for another year and extended for 13 months the mandate of the panel of experts tasked with helping to oversee the implementation of those measures.
