South Sudan: Is Justice Possible During South Sudan's Civil War?

analysis

The death sentence handed down to former South African National Defence Force colonel William Endley in a South Sudanese court last month raises questions about whether real justice is possible in Africa's newest country - and perhaps in any country embroiled in civil war. The death sentence delivered in the same court just days before to former vice president Riek Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, also suggests politics rather than justice rules in Juba's courts.

In a country where atrocities have been committed with impunity on both sides of the conflict, by perpetrators probably going all the way to the top, to condemn to death these relatively lowly officials (plus some soldiers convicted for violent crimes against civilians) seems unjust - at least to the layman's eye.

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