South Sudan signs MoU with African Union to establish hybrid court

[Elisabeth Janaina]

South Sudan signs MoU with African Union to establish hybrid court
File photo: Justice Minister Paulino WanawilLa Onango
File photo: Justice Minister Paulino WanawilLa Onango

South Sudan’s Minister of Justice Paulino Wanawilla on Friday
presented to the cabinet a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between
the government and the African Union on the establishment of a hybrid
court to prosecute those involved in crimes in South Sudan.

Article 1 of Chapter 5 of the peace agreement says that the
transitional government will establish three new institutions to help
bring justice to South Sudan. These institutions are the Commission
for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, the independent hybrid court
for South Sudan, and the Compensation and Reparation Authority.

South Sudanese Minister of Information, Michael Makuei told reporters
after the council of ministers meeting last Friday said the agreement
states that the AU shall present guidelines for the establishment of
the hybrid court and that the government of South Sudan shall
thereafter enact a law for the establishment of the hybrid court.

Makuei said, “The document was presented … and it is rather bulky, the
cabinet decided to defer it so that the ministers can have time to
study the document and come and deliberate on it next time.”

The government spokesman also said that the ministers will go through
copies of the amended constitution in their next meeting before
passing it to the national assembly for deliberation.