The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs was established after South Sudan became an independent country on 09/July/2011.

South Sudan’s independence followed decades of armed struggle that pitted the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) against successive regimes in Khartoum.

On the 09/Jan/2005, the SPLM/A signed an agreement with the government of the National Congress Party (NCP) of President Omar Hassan al Bashir in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The agreement, called the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), ended two decades of armed conflict between the SPLM/A and Khartoum, granted southern Sudan limited autonomy within a united Sudan, but most importantly, endorsed the SPLM demand for a plebiscite at the end of a six-year interim period, which would allow southerners to decide if they wanted to remain part of the Sudan or secede and form their own state.

Under the limited autonomy arrangements, southern Sudan was allowed to establish a number of government ministries. However, this did not include a Ministry of Justice. Instead, the region had a Ministry for Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.

When South Sudan came into existence in July 2011, the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development became the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

It’s mandate now included presiding over the judiciary and legal profession, representing the government of South Sudan in legal matters, drafting laws and agreements and disseminating any document of a legal nature.