South Sudan Newsletter
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SOUTH SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR November 2017 - August 2018 Analysis This report is based on INTRODUCTION the work of internationally trained local monitors on South Sudan has seen widespread human rights abuses and crimes since the conflict broke out in December 2013, two years after its the ground in South Sudan independence. Since the beginning of the conflict, violence has working for a national escalated at an alarming rate across the country, resulting in widespread killings, rapes, extensive property damage and looting of civilian human rights organization. property. Clashes continue to occur despite several peace agreements Both the monitors and the to end the civil war having been signed and sanctions having being organization must remain imposed by international actors. This report analyzes the frequency of serious human rights abuses and crimes against civilians that have anonymous given present been documented by local monitors working anonymously in multiple security concerns. locations around the country. The information reported Despite signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CHA), which took effect on December 24, 2017, all parties to the conflict have herein meets the threshold violated the CHA on numerous occasions. for initiating an investigation. We believe that there is a Since the beginning of the conflict, violence has reasonable basis to believe escalated at an alarming rate across the country, that the following incidents resulting in widespread killings, rapes, extensive occurred. property damage and looting of civilian property. The most recent peace agreement, signed in September, sets out the return of rebel leader Riek Machar (Machar) to the government as one of the five vice presidents and promises ceasefire. South Sudan’s citizens remain both hopeful and doubtful that peace will prevail. Regardless, the end of the conflict has yet to materialize. South Sudan Human Rights Monitor 1 METHODOLOGY appear to have been responsible Despite signing of the for atrocities, such as killing and This report draws on our three arbitrary detention of civilians, Cessation of Hostilities most recent quarterly reports as well as looting and burning of Agreement (CHA), which to assess the situation in South civilian homes. Sudan. The quarterly reports are took effect on December based on the work of monitors 24, 2017, all parties to on the ground in South Sudan working for a local human rights the conflict have violated About 60 percent organization. Both these monitors the CHA on numerous and the organization must of the population occasions. remain anonymous based on an are at risk assessment of security concerns. of not getting These monitors received training from two international human enough to eat. During the period covered in the rights organizations on monitoring, three quarterly reports, between reporting and documentation November 2017 and August 2018, before they began their work. both government and rebel troops have deliberately targeted civilians The incidents they report In April 2018 alone, nine serious and have been identified as being constitute a representative human rights abuses or crimes responsible for atrocities. These samples of human rights violations were reported by the local monitors, human rights abuses and the in the country, given the scope despite an announcement in March conflict in general result in a lack and magnitude of the violations 2018 by the U.S. Department of of food and social services for occurring across the country. State to sanction select South the people of South Sudan, while For each incidents included in Sudanese agencies and at least soldiers routinely confiscate food the quarterly reports, there is a 15 South Sudanese oil operators. and other supplies. According reasonable basis to believe that The immediate effect of the to the United Nations Office for the incidents occurred announcement therefore the Coordination of Humanitarian as reported. remains limited. Affairs, nearly four million people In July 2018, the United Nations have been displaced by the ANALYSIS Security Council renewed conflict, including more than sanctions for another year after 1.7 million persons internally Throughout the reporting period President Salva Kiir (Kiir) had not displaced. More than two million from November 2017 until end ceased hostilities with rebels by more have fled as refugees to of August 2018, a total of more June 30. In the same resolution, neighboring countries. than 40 reported incidents have the Security Council also imposed been documented. Despite To bring meaningful change, both an arms embargo until end of a periods of comparative calm in state actors and international May 2019. As the third quarterly some regions, violence spiked governmental organizations must report shows, however, incidents in April again, and incidents have hold perpetrators accountable and continued to be reported. been reported throughout the enforce cease-fires stringently. entire reporting period. In 2018, A meeting in Ethiopia on June 21 both the SPLA-IG and SPLA-IO 2018 between Kiir and Machar, South Sudan Human Rights Monitor 2 now reinstated as Vice President, looting of property and arbitrary civilians remain displaced and gave rise to hope. It was the first detention of civilians. in dire need of food, as well as time the two opponents met in medical and social services. About In September 2018, a peace person in two years. A second 60 percent of the population are at agreement was signed by Kiir meeting followed the subsequent risk of not getting enough to eat. and Machar, as well as other week in Sudan, including Sudan’s Whether this peace agreement opposition groups. The execution President Omar al-Bashir and proves more effective than a of the peace agreement brought Uganda’s President Yoweri similar agreement signed in 2015 hope but has not translated to Museveni, producing a tentative remains to be seen. peace on the ground and the cease-fire arrangement. situation remains precarious. The situation varies from state to Nonetheless, incidents continued Kidnapping and violent deaths state. The states reported by our throughout July and August of have not ceased since the signing local monitors are analyzed below. 2018. These incidents included the of the agreement. Thousands of INCIDENTS Lol and Wau States (Western Bahr el Ghazal) frequent due to the presence of of safe drinking water and other armed groups. Monitors medicine, exacerbating insecurity on the ground have reported in the region. serious instances of human In August 2018, security rights violations during the whole arrangements and a power- reporting period. Civilians seem to sharing agreement were signed, have been deliberately targeted by but atrocities continued. Clashes both SPLA-IG and SPLA-IO forces. resumed in late September, While no serious human rights even after the signing of a peace violations or crimes were reported agreement. between January and March 2018 by local monitors, an uptick followed in April due to SPLA- Monitors on the IG’s offensive on the SPLA-IO, with three instances having ground have reported been reported. These included serious instances of Wau was the capital of Western government forces firing on Bahr el Ghazal prior to the civilians, the looting and seizing of human rights violations expansion of states to 28, and civilian property, the burning down during the whole then 32 states. The western states of homes, and a full-scale attack reporting period. of Lol and Wau have witnessed on Bazia County in Wau State, armed conflict between SPLA-IG despite no rebel forces being and SPLA-IO. The government has present. These alleged crimes held control since the start of the contributed to the lack conflict, but fighting has remained INCIDENTS Northern and Southern Liech States The Liech States saw two upticks in Southern Liech State’s of reported incidents since Capital, Leer. Incidents included November 2017, specifically in abductions, rapes by SPLA-IG December 2017 and April 2018. troops, the seizing of civilian In December 2017, incidents of property, arbitrary detention, and killings happened following the the burning of civilian homes. offensive attack on areas held In May, civilians were killed by the SPLA-IG–at least two of in two attacks against rebel which seem to constitute murder forces in Mayiendit County and – arbitrary arrest, and excessive Leer County in Southern Liech and unjustified use of force. State. The attacks led to the Violence seems to have displacement of civilians. decreased slightly in January, but While precise details cannot be remained high with four reported obtained given security concerns, major incidences. our data supports a general Northern and Southern Liech In April, violence took up again in conclusion that adherence to the States (referred to collectively as Southern Liech State, especially Cessation of Hostility Agreement the Liech States) have been the in the areas of Mayiendit, correlates to a decrease in site of intense fighting between Koch and Leer counties. This violence against civilians. the SPLA-IG and the SPLA-IO was attributed to the alleged since the beginning of the conflict. integration of SPLA-IG camped Central Upper Nile State (Greater Upper Nile) – has seen a relatively reduced Local monitors reported two rate of violence and human rights incidents in Eastern Nile State violations, according to witnesses in July, and one in August. on the ground. However, the region This suggests that the security remains