Anees Ahmed: “Justice is not fast, and it is not always visible, but without it, peace tends to remain fragile”
In places where courts had all but disappeared from daily life, Anees Ahmed recounts how the UN Mission in South Sudan is bringing justice directly to communities through mobile courts, not only restoring access to justice, but also dignity and recognition for survivors. From his experience in South Sudan and other post-conflict environments, he says that justice, though often slow and imperfect, is essential to rebuilding trust and preventing a relapse into violence.
Question: Let’s start with a moment on the ground. Can you tell us about the initiative to deploy mobile courts in remote areas of South Sudan?
Anees Ahmed: In many parts of South Sudan, there were communities that had not seen a judge for years. So instead of waiting for people to come to the justice system, we took the justice system to them. Mobile courts bring judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers, and support services directly into remote areas, including for survivors of sexual violence who had long been waiting for their cases to be heard. In some locations, these were the first formal trials since independence in 2011. By 2025, hundreds of cases had been heard, including serious sexual crimes, helping to restore a basic sense that the law is present and can function.
When a mobile court opens, it often feels as though the entire community gathers, not only for proceedings, but to mark the arrival of justice itself. At the same time, we are working to make these efforts sustainable by ensuring that parts of the justice chain gradually become permanent, so that over time justice is no longer mobile, but locally rooted and continuous.
Question: Can you share a story that illustrates what happens when someone finally sees justice served?
Anees Ahmed: I recall a hearing in Bentiu, in an old, dilapidated courtroom in Unity State, South Sudan. Plastic chairs were arranged in rows, and people stood along the walls and outside the windows to follow the proceedings. The survivor had been waiting for years. When she first entered, she avoided eye contact, her voice barely audible. We had offered protective measures, but she chose not to take them, which reflected a quiet willingness to participate and a certain courage. As she began to speak, there was a stillness in the room; even those outside leaned in. Midway through her testimony, something shifted, her voice steadied, she spoke more directly, and the room seemed to recognise her not just as a survivor, but as someone reclaiming her place in the community. By the end, there was a quiet acknowledgement: people remained, they did not rush away. For me, that moment captured what justice can do: it does not erase harm, but it restores a measure of dignity, and with it, a different kind of future.
Credit: Nektarios Markogiannis (UNMISS)
Question: From your experience across different contexts, how do accountability and justice help rebuild trust and prevent cycles of violence?
Anees Ahmed: Across very different places, from the Balkans to Cambodia to Iraq, the pattern is consistent. When serious crimes go unaddressed, grievances do not disappear; they accumulate and often return in new forms of violence. Accountability interrupts that cycle by establishing facts, assigning responsibility, and signalling that harm has consequences. It also creates space for institutions to regain credibility, even gradually. Justice is not fast, and it is not always visible, but without it, peace tends to remain fragile.
Question: After working on justice and accountability in so many contexts, what continues to motivate you personally?
Anees Ahmed: What stays with me are small moments rather than large outcomes. A survivor who feels heard, a community that begins to trust again, a national colleague who takes ownership of a process, these are not dramatic, but they are decisive. Over time, you realise that justice work is about persistence more than visibility. It is about showing up, again and again, in difficult places, and doing the work properly. That sense of continuity is what keeps me engaged.
Question: What role do national authorities play in building a culture of justice that can endure?
Anees Ahmed: Ultimately, justice cannot be imported; it has to be built and sustained by national institutions. Our role as the UN is to support, advise, and create conditions where those institutions can function independently and credibly. In South Sudan, this includes strengthening courts, supporting legal reforms, and building capacity across police, judiciary, and corrections. Over time, as national systems take root, the need for external support should reduce. Long-term stability depends on that transition, from international assistance to national ownership.