No progress observed in 2019.

Under R-ARCSS, the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) was tasked with restructuring the judiciary following the recommendations of the Judicial Reform Committee (RJC) and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). In particular, R-ARCSS required the government to establish a Constitutional Court.

No progress observed in 2018.

Reports suggest displacement due to the conflict, ethnic strife, and natural disasters. According to the IOM tracking of IDPs, over 2.3 million IDPs were there in South Sudan as of July 2023.^[1]

[1] “South Sudan .” IOM. https://dtm.iom.int/south-sudan, March 20, 2024.

 

Reports suggest that displacement took place due to the conflict, ethnic strife, and natural disasters. According to the IOM tracking of IDPs, over 2.25 million IDPs were present in South Sudan as of December 2022. ^[1]The RTGoNU has yet to address reconstruction, repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation, and reintegration-related issues.^[2]

[1] “Thousands Displaced in South Sudan Ethnic Violence, UN Reports.” Voice of America. https://www.voanews.com/a/thousands-displaced-in-south-sudan-ethnic-violence-un-reports/6896731.html, December 29, 2022; “Floods, Displacement and Violence in South Sudan.” International Crisis Group.

https://southsudan.crisisgroup.org/, October 27, 2022.

[2] RJMEC report 014/2022; 015/2022; 016/2022; 017/2023.

The RJMEC report suggests conflict-related displacement in its report. Further, the IOM report released in December 2021, shows an uptick in the number of IDPs to over 2 million.^[1] One of the reasons for an increase in IDPs could be related to the net increase in returnees from abroad.

[1]  International Organization for Migration (IOM), Jul 26 2022. DTM South Sudan — Mobility Tracking Round 12 Initial Data Release. IOM, South Sudan. https://dtm.iom.int/reports/south-sudan-mobility-tracking-round-12-initial-data-release

As of January, the IOM reports displacements due to flood and shows an uptick in the number of IDPs to 1.67 million.^[1]

^[1] “IOM South Sudan External Update – January 2020.” IOM, February 28, 2020.

The United Nations reported that at the end of 2019 there were 1.46 million internally displaced persons within South Sudan.^[1]

^[1] “South Sudan situation,” United Nations High Commission for Refugees, January 10, 2020.

Under R-ARCSS, the signatories agreed to enable humanitarian assistance for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the Pre-Transitional Period. The signatories also guaranteed the right of return for refugees and IDPs.

In September, the United Nations estimated that there were 1.96 million displaced persons within South Sudan.^[1] The UN further reported 65 “access incidents” in September, referring to incidents where aid workers were blocked from providing assistance to civilians, either by force or through “bureaucratic and administrative impediments,’’ including to displaced persons.^[2]

By October, the UN noted that “displaced people are beginning to return home” following the signing of R-ARCSS.^[3] That same month, the UN reported 58 new access incidents, some of which involved displaced persons.^[4] The UN further noted increased displacement in Wau state due to fighting there. ^[5] The UN estimated that there were 1.87 million internally displaced persons within South Sudan in December.”^[6] Despite the reduction, the UN identified thousands of newly displaced persons in Yei and noted “increased operational interference from the authorities.”^[7]

^[1] “Humanitarian bulletin South Sudan” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), September 30, 2018.

^[2] UN 90 Day report

^[3] “Humanitarian bulletin South Sudan” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), October 30, 2018.

^[4] UN 90 Day report

^[5] “Humanitarian bulletin South Sudan” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), October 30, 2018.

^[6]  “Humanitarian bulletin South Sudan” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), December 30, 2018.

^[7]  “Humanitarian bulletin South Sudan” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), December 30, 2018.

On November 30, 2023, three institutions, particularly the Political Parties Council (PPC), the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), and the National Election Commission (NEC), were reconstituted. These institutions are critical for preparing for the December 2024 elections. While these institutions are just reconstituted and members appointed, many election-related tasks, such as voter registration, civic education, voter outreach, and publication of voter registry six months before elections, are yet to be initiated and completed.

It is also noteworthy to mention that the NEC did not meet the gender quota as required in the R-ARCSS. Only one of the nine NEC members is a woman.^[1]

[1] RJMEC. 2024. On The Status of Implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. Report No. 021/23 (January 2024).

The reconstitution of National Election Commissions (NEC) did not happen due to lack of consensus on members of the NEC. While the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) reviewed the National Election Act of 2012, the draft amendment was submitted to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in November 2022.^[1] No further progress was reported.

[1] RJMEC report 014/2022; 015/2022; 016/2022; 017/2023.