LEGAL MECHANISMS FOR MINORITY RIGHTS PROTECTION IN SOUTH SUDAN: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES OF ENFORCEMENT

This study investigated the legal mechanisms and institutional frameworks for protecting minority rights in South Sudan and identifying gaps in their enforcement. The problem of the study is: Minority groups in South Sudan face various human rights violations, including ethnic cleansing, forced displacement. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the existing legal mechanisms in South Sudan designed to protect minority rights, and identify shortcomings in the current legal framework and the practical challenges in implementing and enforcing minority rights protections. The researchers used the descriptive and analytical approach to find out the legal and theoretical concepts of the minority rights and how to protect those rights, analyze the ethnic diversity, and examine the issues affecting minority rights and legal frameworks for minority rights in South Sudan. Key findings revealed that: minority communities in South Sudan continue to experience exclusion from political representation, access to resources, the presence of corruption, and political interference, the most important recommendations are implementing legal reforms to address discrimination, strengthening institutions to ensure accountability, and promoting inclusive governance.