Rights group reports mass arbitrary arrests against civilians in South Sudan

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday that South Sudanese safety forces have dedicated human rights violations in opposition to civilians, together with arbitrary arrests and torture, beneath the pretext of a crackdown on felony gangs. The group urged the authorities to halt these actions and conduct thorough investigations into all alleged abuses.

HRW said that South Sudanese safety forces have been conducting a sequence of arbitrary arrests since late June 2025 beneath the guise of combating criminals within the capital of Juba. South Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, Nyagoah Tut Pur, mentioned: “As a substitute of responding to actual issues round criminality, the safety forces have used this legislation enforcement marketing campaign to commit critical abuses in opposition to marginalized kids and younger folks.”

Throughout these arrests, safety forces subjected detainees to torture, ill-treatment, extortion, and compelled conscription. The rights group added that abuses continued in detention services, the place detainees have been held in poor situations, crushed, disadvantaged of meals and water, with extra circumstances of sexual violence in opposition to girls and women. Different detainees, together with kids, have been additionally compelled to hitch the navy or have been enrolled in fight roles. Worldwide human rights legislation prohibits the recruitment of youngsters in armed conflicts and declares 18 because the minimal authorized age for the conscription of youngsters.

HRW famous that authorities didn’t inform the detainees’ households of their whereabouts and refused to offer details about whether or not they have been conscripted or not, which might quantity to enforced disappearances prohibited beneath worldwide legislation.

Consequently, the rights group known as on South Sudanese authorities to adjust to their obligations beneath worldwide human rights legislation and to stop their arbitrary arrests, finish the compelled conscription of youngsters, and conduct thorough investigations into the perpetrated abuses. Nevertheless, police forces rejected the claims of compelled conscription and disappearances, asserting that the carried out operations particularly focused criminals and that some detainees have been merely moved to services exterior of the capital on account of overcrowding.

South Sudan has skilled an armed battle since 2013 between ethnic teams loyal to President Salva Kiir and people supporting his rival, Vice President Riek Machar. Though a peace settlement was signed in 2018, armed clashes have persevered, leading to a extreme humanitarian disaster and the displacement of tens of millions of residents. In October 2025, the UN warned of a excessive danger of renewed battle if assaults continued to escalate.

Moreover, the involvement of political leaders in corruption circumstances has additional exacerbated the humanitarian scenario. In September 2025, a courtroom charged Riek Machar with homicide and crimes in opposition to humanity for his involvement in assaults in opposition to safety forces. The UN has additionally discovered that South Sudanese political figures diverted billions in public funds, depriving residents of entry to meals and healthcare.