The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, CEPO, a civil society body in South Sudan is conducting a three-day workshop on transitional justice in Jonglei State’s capital, Bor town.
The workshop themed, “Supporting a citizen-centered transitional justice process” is aimed at raising awareness on transitional justice, equipping civil actors with knowledge and skill on transitional justice, and researching and publishing papers on transitional justice.
According to CEPO, about 30 activists are attending the training supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the UN human rights office.
Simon Manyok Deng, Human Rights Advisor to the Jonglei State government, speaking during the opening of the workshop on Wednesday, urged participants to actively participate and share their concerns.
“Regarding Chapter V of the R-ARCSS, the government has demonstrated its commitment to implementing it as shown by the recent road map (2nd extension of the R-ARCSS) and we are watching closely to see that it upholds this commitment,” he said. “Concerning the human rights issues in Jonglei State, there are so many violations taking place being committed by individuals and certain institutions of the state government with impunity.”
Manyok added that the state government is working to pass laws that curb abduction of children and women, cattle raiding, and communal violence resulting in various crimes such as rape, killings, and child and forced marriages.
Elizabeth Daniel Lubanga, CEPO’s Access to Justice Officer at CEPO said the training will gather views from activists on how and what the transitional justice processes should look like.
She pointed out that the training will also include conflict prevention and trauma healing.