UPPER NILE – Their wait for justice lasted for years, but once a mobile court reached remote Bunj, it delivered.
Their proceedings may have taken place in two temporarily erected tents, but any perceived lack of judicial fanciness mattered little to residents, fully aware of the significance of what they witnessed.
“I am very happy about the judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other justice officials being here. It means that many pending cases can be both properly investigated and reach a conclusion,” said community leader Mary Buma.
Like many others living in Maban County, she pointed out that the fact that convicted individuals will, at long last, face the consequences of their past wrongdoings is just one side of the judicial coin.
“It is equally important that people who are found innocent but maybe have been detained for a long time already are released and have their good names cleared,” she added.
For a parent of a young survivor of sexual violence, the trial of the man suspected of the assault meant both closure and an end to impunity.
“What happened to my child is deeply disturbing. I think the culprit deserves a long prison sentence and that this will help us heal and, in some way, move on with our lives,” the parent said, while waiting for the outcome of the hearing.
During the three weeks, concluded on 18 November, that the mobile court was operating in Bunj, 23 persons were found guilty and sentenced while 12 were either acquitted or were told that their cases had been dismissed. Eight cases of sexual gender-based violence were heard, resulting in six convictions.
“After four years of complete absence of justice because of a lack of high judges in Upper Nile State, this is the first time a criminal justice process has taken place in Maban County,” commented Natalie Mazur, a Rule of Law Officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba, the mobile court was an initiative led by the Judiciary of South Sudan and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, with support from the UN peacekeeping mission. Mobile operations of this nature have previously been undertaken in Malakal in 2023 and Renk in February this year.
With the South Sudanese Judiciary recently having deployed a permanent judge with high court power to Bunj, justice and accountability in the area are expected to become the rule rather than the odd exception. This development follows similar appointments of permanent justice personnel in Malakal and Renk.
Chief Juma Lagu is hopeful that the presence of the judiciary will contribute to putting an end to what he thinks is a particularly problematic phenomenon.
“It is a crime, but in our community, many girls who are under 18 are married off, sometimes forcefully.”