Responding to the presentation of a report by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) on Friday 27 February to the UN Human Rights Council that documents the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah said;
“The report by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, which paints a bleak picture of the human rights situation in the country, finds that the “scale and recurrence of violations are enabled by impunity, implicating all parties to the conflict.
“Speaking at the Human Rights Council on 27 February, Amnesty International called on the Council to extend the mandate of the Commission for at least two years. The critical conditions that led to the establishment of the CHRSS in 2016 remain unchanged. Now is not the time to end or relax scrutiny of the violations occurring in South Sudan.
“Now is not the time to end or relax scrutiny of the violations occurring in South Sudan.”
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah
“It is also critical that the Council passes a strong resolution that reflects the worsening situation in South Sudan, making clear that it stands ready to respond to any further deterioration of human rights in the country.”
Background
A new report presented by the CHRSS to the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February 2026, documents serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in various regions of South Sudan, including Upper Nile and Jonglei states, as well as Central and Western Equatoria states. The report implicates senior military and political officials in the violations, which include airstrikes on civilians and indiscriminate bombardments, and the forced recruitment of boys and young men by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
The Human Rights Council established the CHRSS in March 2016 and mandated it to collect and preserve evidence of, and clarify responsibility for, alleged gross human rights violations and abuses and related crimes. South Sudan is one of the few states to cooperate with a mechanism set up to address its human rights situation.
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