A General Court Martial has convicted nine members of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), stripping them of their ranks and dismissing them from military service.
The revelation is contained in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) report following the July 5 conclusion of the General Court Martial, supported by SSPDF, in Wau.
The report says the convictions were preceded by two investigation missions to Wau and Jur River counties where 34 pending cases were reviewed.
Subsequently, it adds, the military court adjudicated 20 criminal cases, and delivered verdicts on two cases related to sexual and gender-based violence, resulting in convictions of seven and 10 years, respectively. Additionally, a conflict related sexual violence case involving multiple assailants and an underage victim was adjudicated, a first of its kind for such military court martials in South Sudan.
The report says the highest-ranking member of the SSPDF convicted was a Lieutenant Colonel, for the loss of a weapon. Two civilians in detention were released from military custody since they do not fall within the jurisdiction of a military court, while another civilian on trial for killing two SSPDF soldiers was sentenced to two years imprisonment and ordered to pay 62 head of cattle or a monetary equivalent as blood compensation to the victims’ families.
The Court also heard six cases involving conflict related crimes committed during clashes in February 2025 in Kwajiena village, Jur River County.
“A lack of identification of assailants by victims, despite strong testimonies, did not lead to prosecutorial action in this regard. However, the hearing resulted in a directive to the state government to award financial compensation to all victims in accordance with South Sudan’s civil procedure code,” says the report.
The General Court Martial team included two female judge-advocates to ensure support for both genders. All victims also had access to two civilian counsel, who provided free legal advice and participated in the proceedings.
This military court was followed by a civil-military dialogue in Wau with a focus on joint efforts to combat sexual violence. The aim was to strengthen trust between uniformed personnel and communities, as well as obtain real time feedback on the impact of such military justice interventions on host populations.
The Wau General Court Martial was funded by the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba. In particular, it builds on the work of similar military proceedings that took place in Wau in 2022, which resulted in convictions of eight members of the SSPDF for murder. The convicted soldiers were stripped of their ranks and dismissed from the SSPDF.
As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen justice mechanisms and rule of law processes, UNMISS also provided funding for victims and witnesses to receive psychosocial support before, during, and after trial.
The SSPDF’s Military Justice Directorate (MJD) deploys General Courts Martials to promote accountability for crimes committed by its members, instill discipline among its ranks and strengthen its relationship with civilian populations.
During the closing of the Wau General Court Martial, the SSPDF Military Justice Directorate distributed to all military personnel at the Fifth Infantry Division,‘Six Key Messages to End Sexual Violence’ that are binding standing orders developed by the Directorate.
The Wau General Court Martial is part of continued partnerships between UNMISS and the Military Justice Directorate to strengthen accountability within the SSPDF. Since 2020, the Military Justice Directorate, with support from UNMISS, has deployed 14 such courts to nine locations across South Sudan, and addressed a total of 136 criminal cases involving uniformed personnel, including murder, assault, and sexual and gender-based violence.