By Manas James Okony<\/p>\n
Local authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have made a fervent appeal for the establishment of a permanent justice system following the conclusion of a mobile court that has operated in the region since March 10.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The mobile court wrapped up its mandate on April 9, having addressed only 37 cases, which starkly contrasts with the staggering backlog of 429 unresolved cases.<\/p>\n Peter Ajany Kaimoi, the GPAA local government minister, expressed profound concern over the absence of a permanent court.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lack of judiciary is challenging. There is a backlog of 429 cases in the entire GPAA due to the shortage of judges,\u201d Ajany stated.<\/p>\n He highlighted that while the arrival of the mobile court allowed for 51 cases to be tackled, the demand for an extension to continue addressing additional cases was unfortunately not approved.<\/p>\n Sebit Bullen Lako, who led the Pibor mobile court, described their mission as a success but reiterated the critical need for a permanent High Court in the GPAA.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring our time there, we handled 37 cases: 22 verdicts were passed by me and the rest by my first-grade judge colleague,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n Sebit Bullen also mentioned that while a judge has been assigned to Pibor, named Paris Odiel, he has yet to officially assume his duties.<\/p>\n Civil society activist Bol Deng Bol, affiliated with the INTREPIDD South Sudan (ISS), commented on the detrimental impact of the judiciary’s absence.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lack of judiciary is perpetuating endemic violence and a culture of impunity in the troubled GPAA,\u201d he said. The mobile court was established to alleviate long-standing judicial delays in Pibor Town, comprising two judges, two prosecutors, four advocates, and three supporting staff. Before its arrival, the GPAA lacked a functional judicial system, a gap that has significantly contributed to ongoing inter-communal violence and criminal activities.<\/p>\n The Greater Pibor Administrative Area was created in 2014 through a presidential decree that separated Pochalla and Pibor counties from the rest of Jonglei State.<\/p>\n However, the region suffers from a lack of a constitution and an effective judicial framework, underscoring the urgent necessity for reliable legal mechanisms that promote the rule of law and foster accountability within the community.<\/p>\n As local officials advocate for reforms, the need for a sustainable and functional judiciary remains a top priority for the residents of the GPAA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Manas James Okony Local authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have made a fervent appeal for the establishment of a permanent justice system following the conclusion of a mobile court that has operated in the region since March 10. The mobile court wrapped up its mandate on[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34791,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34790\/revisions\/34791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBol provided a specific example of the urgent need for judicial presence by referencing a case of child abduction that resulted in a conviction, yet required the convict to serve their term in Juba due to judicial limitations in the GPAA.<\/p>\n