In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has called on the African Union to quickly establish a court for South Sudan to prosecute perpetrators of heinous crimes and bring justice to victims of sexual violence, torture, and other human rights violations. The Commission has compiled a list of 23 individuals it says are responsible for serious crimes under international law, which will be handed over to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for future prosecutions.

Former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was acquitted on appeal for war crimes in Central African Republic, is seeking millions of euros in compensation from the International Criminal Court.

On February 14, Kenyans once again confronted their painful relationship with law enforcement and revisited the deep mistrust born of historical abuses. In an unprecedented ruling, a court found five senior police officers potentially culpable in gruesome murder during the police response to the 2017 post-election protests. On the same day, a senior police officer was convicted of murder and jailed for life.

The UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has urged all parties in the country to cease conflict immediately in light of potential war crimes and honor the Revitalized Peace Agreement, signed in September. The commission found that the country’s violence has “markedly worsened” since December 2017. It was particularly concerned by reports of sexual violence, 25 percent of which involve child victims.