-full.webp)
South Sudan has launched the process of selecting members for its long-awaited Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing, marking a pivotal step in advancing transitional justice after years of violent conflict.
The move follows the enactment of two landmark laws by President Salva Kiir in November 2024: the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing Act and the Compensation and Reparation Authority Act.
Both laws stem from Chapter Five of the 2018 peace agreement and provide
the legal foundation to investigate past atrocities, deliver justice to
victims, and foster national healing after the brutal conflicts of 2013 and
2016.
According to Farouk Ismail Ukach, Program Coordinator at the
South Sudan Law Society, the current focus is on assembling a selection panel
that will appoint the commissioners to lead the reconciliation process.
The panel will be composed of nine members drawn from across
society, including representatives from academia, traditional elders, people
with disabilities, religious institutions, civil society (including victims or
survivors), women’s groups, and the youth.
“We shall have four South Sudanese nationals, among which two shall be women. We shall have three non-South Sudanese from other African countries, of which at least one must be a woman," said Ukach on Thursday in an interview.
"This process must be as clean as it should be. And when we get this commission, we are going to have at least the selection panel.”
He further underscored the importance of maintaining
transparency throughout the entire process.
“They will compile the shortlisted candidates, make
available the shortlisted names into the media, for everyone to know who has
applied and has been shortlisted. Interviews will be held live in open public
media,” he explained.
On Wednesday, civil society leaders from South Sudan’s ten states and three administrative areas, along with government, survivors’ groups, and international partners, gathered in Juba for a two-day workshop on leadership selection for the CTRH and CRA. They called for the process to be extended to local communities to ensure full inclusiveness.
Jeramiah Soloma Shuei, Chairperson of the Civil Society
Organization Network in Upper Nile State, stressed the importance of public
awareness.
“We are looking forward to this workshop, the same workshop,
to be done at the level of the state in Malakal because we have many people who
really need to know the process of selection and the people who are going to be
involved in this process,” Soloma emphasized.
Angelina Adhel Malual, Chairperson of the Civil Society
Organization Network in Lakes State, noted the value of learning from other
countries’ experiences.
“It was quite two days that has been well with getting some
experience from other countries, because looking at the comparative analysis
from where they have established their commission for truth and healing and
reconciliation,” Adhel asserted.
“This commission will help us to track some of the issues
that have happened some years back and how best we can handle those issues for
those who can be compensated and those who have been hurt that need to be
healed.”
Johnsir Mama Allan, deputy chairperson of the Civil Society
Organization Network in Pibor Administrative Area, highlighted the role of
civil society in building peace.
“In this workshop we talked about the conflict resolution
and peace building, and we play a role in promoting peace and addressing the
root causes of the conflict,” Mama echoed.
As the Ministry of Justice engages with the African Union
and the United Nations to select the three non-South Sudanese members, public
anticipation is building.
The hope is that this commission will lay the groundwork for
lasting peace and national unity.