December 18, 2024 (GENEVA/JUBA) – Arbitrary arrests and ensuing detention of civilians remain a serious human rights concern in South Sudan, the United Nations Human Rights Office and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a joint statement. The two UN bodies, in a joint report issued on Wednesday, said some 1,140 civilians were arbitrarily arrested and then detained for varying periods between January 2023 to May this year – among them at least 162 women and 87 children, according to the report. The report, which draws on verified and documented cases of human rights violations attributed to both state security elements and non-state armed groups, says women and girls were subjected to arbitrary and unlawful arrests largely for refusing arranged marriages, seeking divorce, or for alleged adultery, in patterns of abuse reinforcing the use of gender as an instrument of control. It says individuals, including persons with disabilities, have often been detained without ever being found criminally responsible and, in many instances, without even having committed any offence. According to the report, members of the political opposition or those perceived to be connected to them, and individuals indicating their intentions to actively participate in political processes, …

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