By Alan Clement
A United Nations-backed mobile court has concluded hearings in Greater Yei, clearing a backlog of serious criminal cases after nearly a year without a resident judge.
According to a statement from UNMISS’ communication department, the initiative, conducted between 5 and 16 December 2025, heard 23 cases from Yei, Lainya, and Morobo counties, delivering judgments in 10 of them.
Nine of those judgments involved sexual and gender-based violence, all resulting in convictions, according to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
“This mobile court has brought justice closer to victims and survivors who have waited far too long,” said Priyanka Chowdhury, UNMISS spokesperson, in a statement.
The absence of a judge in Greater Yei for about a year had left dozens of cases pending trial, including 24 verified sexual and gender-based violence cases and 22 other criminal matters.
The deployment of the mobile court, was led by the Judiciary of South Sudan and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba.
Mobile courts are not new to South Sudan. Since 2012, UNMISS has supported such initiatives to bridge gaps in the justice system, particularly in conflict-affected and rural areas where judicial institutions remain fragile.
In Bentiu, for example, a mobile court in 2024 heard dozens of cases that had languished for years, offering communities their first access to formal justice in over a decade.
Similarly, in Renk earlier this year, a mobile court processed 54 cases, including those of detainees held without trial since 2021.
The reliance on mobile courts underscores the broader challenges facing South Sudan’s judiciary. Formal justice institutions are concentrated in urban centers, leaving the majority of the rural population reliant on customary courts led by traditional chiefs.
While these customary systems provide community-level dispute resolution, they often lack the capacity to handle serious criminal cases, particularly those involving sexual violence.
A 2021 Justice Landscape Assessment noted that rural communities face “inaccessible formal courts, weak enforcement, and reliance on customary law that struggles with complex criminal matters”.
International assessments echo these concerns. The UNDP’s Access to Justice programme highlights that prolonged conflict and weak state institutions have left millions without recourse to formal justice, with impunity widespread in rural areas.
A 2025 World Bank JUPITER assessment similarly found that South Sudan’s justice system suffers from “limited reach, poor infrastructure, and lack of trained personnel,” particularly outside major towns.
Mobile courts, therefore, serve as a stopgap measure, bringing judges and prosecutors temporarily to underserved regions. UNMISS has commended their role in “delivering justice in remote areas and addressing backlogs where rule of law is fragile”.
In Yei, the recent deployment coincides with the Judiciary of South Sudan’s decision to station a county court judge with high court powers in the area, a move expected to reduce reliance on mobile interventions.
For survivors of violence and communities long denied justice, the swift convictions delivered this month mark a turning point.
Whether this momentum can be sustained depends on the country’s ability to strengthen its fragile judicial infrastructure beyond temporary measures.