A delegation of independent experts from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will start a five-day visit to South Sudan next week, the commission has said..

In a statement extended to Radio Tamazuj, the commission said Chairperson Yasmin Sooka will lead the 12th-16th February mission, accompanied by fellow members Barney Afako and Carlos Castresana Fernández.

The visit comes at a critical time in South Sudan, as the country’s transition period under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement nears an end, with a new constitution and national elections planned by December 2024.

They will meet government officials, survivors of human rights violations, members of civil society, jurists, UN agencies and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The statement further confirms that the experts plan to discuss the human rights situation in South Sudan, including the Commission’s latest findings and recommendations.

The commissioners will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM on Friday,16 February at the UNMISS conference room in Tongping, Juba.

The commission will present its latest findings on the human rights situation in South Sudan to the UN Human Rights Council in early March, in Geneva.

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to monitor human rights violations.