The new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to South Sudan, Paul Tholen, on Wednesday, pledged his government’s commitment to supporting the strengthening of the rule of law in the country.
Tholen who addressed the press after meeting Justice Minister Ruben Madol Arol highlighted the challenges the Government of South Sudan is grappling with, particularly in the area of transitional justice.
Ambassador Tholen who arrived in the country about one month ago said his meeting with the leadership of the justice ministry was to acquaint himself with the challenges.
“Today I had a courtesy call to visit the minister and deputy minister of Justice where we discussed the challenges that South Sudan faces in the area of rule of law,” he said. “We agreed that we will pursue our discussions over the next months to see where and how we can collaborate in the future in the area of strengthening the rule of law.”
“I think the deputy minister already referred to a number of the challenges that confront the rule of law and strengthening transitional justice in South Sudan, that is one of the areas we are looking into,” the envoy added.
His sentiments were echoed by, Joseph Malek Arop, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, who confirmed that other discussions also touched on the implementation of the peace agreement.
“The justice minister and Ambassador Paul Tholen discussed a lot of issues about the implementation of the peace agreement, especially justice, accountability, and reconciliation in the country. They also discussed a lot of issues related to the extension of the government (transitional period) and how those extensions can end,” he stated. “We briefed him about human rights, administration of justice across the country, and also the laws that are related to the implementation of the peace agreement, especially security laws needed to complete the implementation of the agreement among others.”
Deputy Justice Minister Malek described the meeting as fruitful.