...

Logo Pasino du Havre - Casino-Hôtel - Spa
in partnership with
Logo Nextory

UN-backed mobile court brings justice to South Sudan’s Pibor region

• Aug 13, 2025, 4:15 PM
2 min de lecture
1

In South Sudan's Pibor area, crimes are a frequent occurrence. But a new mobile court, supported by the United Nations mission to the country, is helping fight this problem.

Greater Pibor is rich with vibrant cultural traditions and history. The communities celebrate their identity through traditional attire, ceremonies, and spiritual practices that bind them together.

However, a more toxic and deadly shared experience is the phenomenon of cattle raiding, combined with sexual violence, and child abduction, which is also deeply embedded in the culture and a major source of conflict between communities.

Too often, the perpetrators of crimes, such as these, go unpunished.

However, a new mobile court, deployed to Pibor with the assistance of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the South Sudan Reconciliation, Stabilization, Resilience Trust Fund, is helping combat this historical impunity.

Over four weeks, the court adjudicated 16 complex criminal cases, resulting in the conviction of five offenders.

Another 10 civil cases, mostly related to land disputes which are often a major source of tension and conflict, were also decided.

A need for a permanent justice system

It is the second time a mobile court has been deployed to the Greater Pibor Administrative Area this year, bringing the total number of cases addressed to 61, with 37 criminal and 24 civil cases.

Seeing justice served inspires more victims to come forward and helps prevent those seeking accountability for crimes from taking the law into their own hands.

While there is a recognition that communities cannot be blamed if they have never experienced justice, there is also a need to demonstrate that formal systems provide a better form of accountability. It is vital to sustain the delivery of justice rather than relying on ad hoc mobile courts.

The South Sudan judiciary, therefore, plans to deploy a permanent judge to the area. UNMISS also helped by building a new courthouse to address the dire state of existing infrastructure.

The mission is also advocating for investment in a new prison and functioning police stations.

To secure the long-promised peace after decades of brutal conflict, it is vital that justice is delivered in places where it has been absent for far too long. Only then will those who have suffered immense harm, be able to rebuild their lives and move towards the better future they deserve.


Yesterday

New negotiations between DR Congo and M23 rebels to take place in Qatar
• 3:08 PM
2 min
On Sunday, a Qatari official said a draft agreement to end fighting between the army and the rebels had been shared with the two sides.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/17/new-negotiations
Read the article
Dozens of Israelis arrested in protest to demand end to Gaza war and release of hostages
• 2:28 PM
3 min
Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday in a nationwide strike amid fears further fighting could endanger the 50 hostages believed to still be in Gaza.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2
Read the article
People in Gaza scramble for food aid as the death toll from hunger rises
• 1:15 PM
3 min
The United Nations warns that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest level since the war began.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/17/people-in-gaza-scramble-for-
Read the article
France says citizen arrested in Mali is an accredited embassy employee
• 11:05 AM
2 min
The junta took Yann Vezilier into custody recently along with others, accusing them of taking part in an alleged plot to destabilise the country.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/17/france
Read the article
DR Congo government rejects Kenya's naming of consul to occupied Goma
• 9:59 AM
2 min
Kinshasa said the appointment amounted to disrespect for the country’s territorial integrity and could appear to legitimise the M23’s occupation of the eastern city.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.c
Read the article
Putin tells top officials Alaska talks were 'frank and informative'
• 8:30 AM
2 min
The Russian president said the meeting had brought Russia and the United States 'closer to the necessary decisions' to end the war in Ukraine.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/17/putin-tel
Read the article
Ivory Coast's Gbagbo rallies opposition against Ouattara’s fourth-term bid
• 7:23 AM
1 min
Former President Laurent Gbagbo urged his supporters to oppose a 'fourth term' for the Ivory Coast's incumbent president.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/17/ivory-coasts-gbagbo-rallies-op
Read the article