Juba, South Sudan (ICRC) – Following a half-day contesting, Starford International University College won the championship of the 5th South Sudan International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Court Competition on Thursday, 7 September. The competition is an annual event hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The winning team from Starford International University and ICRC staff after the awarding awarding ceremony in The University of Juba. Photo: Junior Ali/ICRC
The other participating team, the team from University of Juba took the second prize. Mabile James Madit from Juba University was awarded as the Best Speaker. The winning team will be sponsored by the ICRC to take part in the All-Africa IHL Moot Competition to be held in Arusha, Tanzania, in November.
"This competition gives us a lot of knowledge about how to protect civilians during war and conflict, what you should follow if you become a leader. It's really a privilege to participate in the moot court," Chol John Majok from the champion team said after the award ceremony at Juba University.
International humanitarian law is a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict, protecting people who are not, or no longer, participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
In its fifth year, the competition aims to promote interest in the international humanitarian law, spread awareness of the law in South Sudan and develop advocacy skills among law students. The theme for this year was "Protections against sexual violence in times of armed conflict".
The problem statement explored aspects of international humanitarian law related to conflict related sexual violence and the protection of victims and survivors of sexual violence.
"Conflict-related sexual violence is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and could amount to a war crime," said Marco Chol, legal advisor of the ICRC Delegation in South Sudan.
"The issue remains prevalent in South Sudan and the ICRC works to prevent and respond tosexual violence in the country. By focusing this year's case on the topic, we hope to further raise awareness, and to encourage all concerned stakeholders to continue to work together to address this severe issue," Chol added.
For further information, please contact:
Yuxia Jiang, ICRC Juba/South Sudan, Tel: +211 (0) 912 179 318, yjiang@icrc.org
Darko Jordanov, ICRC Juba/South Sudan, Tel: +211 (0) 912 360 023, djordanov@icrc.org
