Despite gaining independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, South Sudan’s transition to self-governance was fraught with challenges, including ethnic tensions, political rivalries, and economic difficulties. As a result, conflict re-erupted in December 2013, stemming from a political power struggle between two ethnic groups, which rapidly escalated into ethnic conflict and then a full-fledged civil war.
The war has had a devastating humanitarian impact, with significant displacement, food insecurity, and widespread human rights abuses. It has also resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in Africa. According to the OHCHR, a grave concern is the continuous subjection to sexual violence by women and girls. Both ethnic groups of the conflict have been accused of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) including rapes, sexual slavery and forced impregnations, amongst child recruitment and mass killings. These continue to occur in high numbers as reported by the UN Mission to South Sudan in its 2022 annual brief. The social impacts of CRSV on survivors abound. Stigma and victim-blaming are common leading to a fracture in the social fabric at the family and community level.
To address the serious human rights violations including conflict-related sexual violence, the government of South Sudan approved the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms as provided in the peace agreement adopted in 2018. The aim of these institutions is to promote reconciliation, justice, and peace for the survivors of the war. However, the African Union had a responsibility in 2022 to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan but failed to move ahead with its creation. The enactment of the CTRH bills has also been characterise by a lack of urgency and pace. Violence and impunity thus remain pervasive in the country.
Due to continuing tensions, survivors face great challenges to access necessary psychosocial and livelihood services. As a result, multiple state-level networks of survivors of CSRV from Bor, Bentiu, Juba, POC 1 and 3, Mundri and Yei , with support from the Centre of Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice Rights for Peace and the Dr Denis Mukwege Foundation, united into an independent national network in June 2022 called the Survivors Network of South Sudan (SUNS), with the objective to raise awareness on survivor’s rights, create space spaces for survivors to encourage them to speak out , empower survivors to conduct advocacy with policy-makers and facilitate access to medical, psychosocial, and economic support for survivors and children born of wartime rape. SUNS also collaborates with Network of South Sudanese Survivors in Uganda, a sister network composed of South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda.
Survivors Network in South Sudan (SUNS)
Established in June 2022, several South Sudanese state-level survivor networks have come together to form the Survivors Network in South Sudan (SUNS), formerly known as the National Survivors Network (NSN). The network currently consists of state-level survivor groups in Bor, Bentiu, Juba, POC3, Mundri & Yei, as well as South Sudanese refugees in Uganda. SUNS was established in June 2022 in Juba. SUNS has grown rapidly in the past two years and has 307 members in 2024 from all the different locations. Since its formation, SUNS has engaged in the transitional justice process through participation in public consultations, making submissions to the Commission on Truth Reconciliation and healing law on survivor approaches, and advocacy meetings with government officials, the UN, and diplomatic bodies.
Network of South Sudanese Survivors in Uganda (NoSSSu)
Established in 2021, the Network of South Sudanese Survivors in Uganda (NoSSSU) is composed of more than 200 members across three refugee settlements in Uganda, namely Adjumani, Kiryandongo, and Bidibidi. The vision for NoSSSU is “South Sudan without conflict-related sexual violence and where rights of women and girls are respected”. To do this, their main objectives are to raise awareness about CRSV within the refugee community, empower survivors, facilitate referrals, and contribute to the fight against CRSV in South Sudan by ensuring that victims’ voices (including refugees’) are taken into consideration in transitional justice processes. NoSSSU’s activities include door-to-door awareness visits, advocacy, stigma reduction, referrals, public events and income-generating activities, giving out loans and providing emergency assistance.
Survivors Network in South Sudan (SUNS)