Juba, South Sudan, 22 July 2017: The African Union Commission (AUC) in accordance with the Communiqué of the 547th meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) of 29 September 2015, embarked on a consultative mission to Juba from 20 to 22 July 2017 to engage with the Transitional Government of National Unity on the implementation of Chapter V (3) of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan of August 2015 (“Peace Agreement”), which relates to the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan.

The AUC delegation, led by Amb. (Prof.) Joram Biswaro, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission and Head of the AU Mission in South Sudan and accompanied by a technical team from the UN Office of Legal Affairs, led by the Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, commenced the visit with a courtesy call to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which was received on behalf of the Minister, by H.E. Amb. Lumumba Makelele, the Undersecretary at Ministry.

After the courtesy call, the AUC delegation proceeded for a working session with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs led by its Minister Hon. Paulino Wanowila Unango, who welcomed the delegation. The Minister and other senior officials from the Ministry provided a comprehensive briefing on the status of implementation of key transitional justice mechanisms as envisaged in the Peace Agreement. The two sides agreed to setup their respective technical teams to further engage on the technical aspects of the consultations.

The AUC delegation also held an interactive session with the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) led by its Chairperson, H.E. Festus Mogae, which also had in attendance the Deputy Chairperson and other senior Officials of JMEC. The status of the implementation of the Peace Agreement and activities undertaken by the AUC on the implementation of Chapter V (3) were the focus of the discussions.

As a follow up to the meeting with the Minister, the AUC delegation held discussions with the technical team from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, led by the Acting Legal Counsel, Ms. Constancia Gaspar and the Undersecretary, Hon. James Mayen Oka, respectively. The technical teams agreed on a joint roadmap for the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, modalities of work and identified their respective focal points for coordination of the activities leading to the conclusion of the process.

The consultations were held under a cordial atmosphere and all concerned emphasized the need for support to the transitional justice mechanisms in South Sudan.

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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