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TITLE: SOUTH SUDAN / UNITY STATE JUDGES PROSECUTORS
TRT: 2:17
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC
DATELINE: 09 SEPTEMBER 2025, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, people at detention container and traditional court
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Wambugu, Senior Rule Of Law Officer, UNMISS:
“One of their [the judiciary’s] goals is actually to enhance access to justice, and under that goal, one of the strategic priorities of the current administration is to be able to deploy judges, especially to the far-off areas in the state where we've not had judges for quite a long time. They reached out to us to assist with the logistics of deploying these judges. Priority has been given especially to areas where we've not had judges for the last 10 years.”
3. Various shots, people at detention container and traditional court
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Wambugu, Senior Rule Of Law Officer, UNMISS:
“With the permanent deployment of judges, we are going to see more cases coming through and be able to address the greatest challenge that, as I said, is the overcrowding”.
5. Various shots, people at detention container
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samuel Atok, Public Prosecutor, Bentiu, Unity State:
“We are facing challenges with crimes both within and outside the state. Some suspects are in Bentiu Prison, and with judges arriving soon, prosecutions will begin. The State Government has asked the Chief Justice to assign judges to help clear the backlog of cases.”
7. Various shots, UN correctional officers
South Sudan's judiciary is a vital democratic pillar in the world’s youngest nation. As the third branch of government, it is tasked with maintaining the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rights.
The South Sudanese justice system faces many challenges, including a lack of qualified legal professionals.
One initiative to overcome this personnel deficiency is the deployment of mobile courts to locations that do not have permanent judges. By doing so, residents of remote areas are also given access to justice as the courts hear cases of serious crimes committed, often against women, children and internally displaced persons.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is assisting these deployments.
SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Wambugu, Senior Rule Of Law Officer, UNMISS:
“One of their [the judiciary’s] goals is actually to enhance access to justice, and under that goal, one of the strategic priorities of the current administration is to be able to deploy judges, especially to the far-off areas in the state where we've not had judges for quite a long time. They reached out to us to assist with the logistics of deploying these judges. Priority has been given especially to areas where we've not had judges for the last 10 years.”
A shortage of formal judges means that almost 80% of legal disputes in rural areas are resolved by customary courts, led by community chiefs.
South Sudan is attempting to improve the way the two parallel justice systems can complement each other, both by strengthening the formal law set-up and by aligning customary practices with constitutional principles.
Appointing and sending permanent judges, rather than temporary mobile courts, to areas where access to justice is currently severely limited is the next step.
SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Wambugu, Senior Rule Of Law Officer, UNMISS:
“With the permanent deployment of judges, we are going to see more cases coming through and be able to address the greatest challenge that, as I said, is the overcrowding”.
A lack of resources makes legal processes slow, leading to large number of suspects being detained for long periods of time as they wait for their cases to be heard.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samuel Atok, Public Prosecutor, Bentiu, Unity State:
“We are facing challenges with crimes both within and outside the state. Some suspects are in Bentiu Prison, and with judges arriving soon, prosecutions will begin. The State Government has asked the Chief Justice to assign judges to help clear the backlog of cases.”
UNMISS is currently assisting the judiciary with the process of appointing permanent judges and prosecutors in Unity State.
