A South Sudanese civil activist on Monday called on President Salva Kiir Mayardit to form the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) provided for in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
The commission will spearhead efforts to address the legacy of the conflict and promote peace, national reconciliation, and healing following years of deadly conflicts since December 2013.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said for any political transitional process to be successful, it requires functional transitional justice.
“I would like to take this opportunity concerning our Transitional Justice Resource Center early to appeal to the leadership of the country for early establishment of the Commission for Truth Healing and Reconciliation Compensation Reparation Authority as per the requirement of the law signed by the President last year,” he said. “We believe that for any political transitional process to be successful, it requires a functional transitional justice.”
Yakani added: “We do not forget to call upon the government to engage proactively with the African Union (AU) on the establishment of the Hybrid Court.”
He also said the individuals who will be appointed commissioners for these institutions should be people of high integrity and be non-partisan because of the sensitivity of the transitional justice, which should focus on repairing the social fabric broken by the violence since 2013.
The commission will document crimes, promote reconciliation, and recommend reparations for victims.
In November 2024, President Salva Kiir signed into law the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing Act 2024. The act will establish a mechanism to investigate human rights abuses, war crimes, and other atrocities.