Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Authorities in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched a mobile court Monday aimed at clearing case backlogs, decongesting prisons and extending legal services to remote areas.
The initiative, launched in the state capital Bor, will see judges, prosecutors and court staff travel across counties to hear cases over a 30-day period.
Jonglei State’s prison director, Maj. Gen. Deng Atem Apar, commended the project, stating it would alleviate pressure on the justice system. “The mobile court will reduce the burden of keeping remand prisoners with no justice,” Apar said. “Currently, we have 104 remand prisoners, and more keep coming.”
The state’s information minister, Nyamar Lony, said the court was established after consultations between the chief justice and the state governor. He said its objectives include restoring the rule of law, addressing case backlogs and combating impunity.
“The formation of the mobile court observed gender inclusivity and diversity,” Lony added.
Access to formal justice is a major challenge in South Sudan, particularly outside urban centers. Peruth Karungi, a UNDP security specialist in Jonglei State, said rural communities often depend on customary systems that have limited capacity and can be inconsistent with human rights standards.
“The formal justice system is largely urban-centered, leaving most counties without operational courts or prosecutors,” Karungi said. “Many remain in pre-trial detention due to delays in case processing, while survivors of gender-based violence and other crimes face legal and financial barriers when seeking redress.”
Karungi said mobile courts provide a flexible and cost-effective mechanism to extend justice to underserved or conflict-affected areas and to build public confidence in the formal justice system.
Jonglei State has long been affected by intercommunal violence, cattle raiding and abductions. The region faces significant justice challenges due to insecurity, inadequate judicial structures and limited legal resources.
Since 2017, UNDP, with funding from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in partnership with the UN Mission in South Sudan’s Rule of Law and Security Institutions section, has deployed mobile courts across the country to promote accountability and deliver timely justice.
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