By Guya Scopas Bethuel
The European Union has reiterated its firm support for judicial reform in South Sudan, calling for greater independence of the judiciary and renewed political commitment to upholding the rule of law. Speaking at the official launch of the Judiciary of South Sudan’s Strategic Plan 2025–2029 in Juba, Lothar Jaschke, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, underscored the central role of an effective and impartial judiciary in fostering peace, human rights, and development.
The event marked a key milestone in the country’s justice sector reform efforts, following the presentation of the Judicial Reform Committee’s (JRC) report in October 2024. The report, which proposed 15 key recommendations, highlighted areas such as judicial training, infrastructure development, governance, and restructuring, aimed at building a judiciary that is independent, accessible, and trusted by all citizens.
“Without the rule of law, peace cannot be sustained, human rights cannot be realized, and economic development will be stifled,” Jaschke stated. “Who would invest in a country without a credible judiciary?”
He emphasized that judicial reform must go beyond technical improvements to also restore public confidence in the justice system. The EU official noted that persistent interference by elements of the executive in judicial matters remains a major challenge and must be addressed to ensure impartiality and accountability.
Jaschke welcomed recent developments, including conclusions by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, and stressed that reform efforts are integral to implementing the 2018 peace agreement. He called for more government investment to support justice reform, force unification, credible elections, and the drafting of a democratic and federal constitution.
Since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, the European Union has been a consistent partner in supporting judicial and constitutional reform. Through the Max Planck Foundation’s ongoing project—Supporting Constitution-Making, Legal Harmonisation and Judicial Reform in South Sudan—the EU has provided technical support and capacity-building to strengthen the judiciary, particularly at the High Court and local levels.
Jaschke concluded his remarks by urging national institutions to translate the new strategy into concrete action. “Today’s launch presents an opportunity to develop a work plan that brings accountability, transparency, good governance, and justice to the people of South Sudan. Let us look into justice’s beautiful face.”
He also expressed gratitude to the Max Planck Foundation and other national and international partners for their collaboration on judicial reform.