The African Union has distanced itself from a document leaked 10 days ago that purports to be a draft of the African Union Commission of Inquiry report into human rights violations in South Sudan.
The document calls, among other things, for President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar to be excluded from a transitional government, which is supposed to be up and running by July 9 this year.
In a statement released late Monday, African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the real Commission of Inquiry report has not been released to anyone. Dlamini-Zuma said the commission, which was headed by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, submitted its final report to the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) at the end of January.
Date disagreement
The timeline outlined in the A.U. statement contradicts what several legal, human rights and peace-building organizations, including the South Sudan Law Society, Amnesty International, and South Sudan non-governmental organization, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization have said about the report.
In separate statements released in January, calling for the full report to be made public, the groups said the Commission of Inquiry submitted its final report to the AUPSC in October last year. The A.U. had three months to deliberate over the report before making it public at the end of January, these outside organizations said.
The report was widely expected to be released at an A.U. summit in January, but was put on hold at the last minute. A.U. officials gave no reason for the delay.
South Sudanese analysts have dismissed the leaked document, with one saying it is likely the opinion of a dissenting voice on the Commission of Inquiry.
