Information Note: Yei Mobile Court Concludes after Successfully Addressing a Backlog of Criminal Cases

JUBA – A mobile court conducted in Greater Yei, Central Equatoria State, has successfully concluded its hearings, after addressing a backlog of serious criminal cases and improving access to justice for victims and survivors. For about a year, Greater Yei has lacked a judge, resulting in a significant backlog of cases. The deployment of a mobile court to the area followed an investigation mission, supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which verified a total of 24 sexual and gender-based violence cases and 22 other criminal cases. Court proceedings began on 5 December 2025, during which 23 cases were heard, from Yei, Lainya, and Morobo, including serious criminal matters. Judgements were delivered in 10 of these cases, while others are pending further action. Notably, nine of the 10 judgments related to sexual and gender-based violence cases, all of which resulted in convictions. The Yei mobile court initiative was led by the Judiciary of South Sudan (JOSS) and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA), with support from UNMISS. It was deployed to address delays in justice delivery caused by the limited judicial presence in the region. This mobile court was funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Juba. Note to Editors: The Yei mobile court was active from 5 December to 16 December 2025. The Judiciary of South Sudan recently deployed a county court judge with high court powers to Yei, a move that will hopefully address the backlog of serious criminal cases that have been pending trial due to the absence of a judge.