The United Nations Security Council urges South Sudan’s leaders to de-escalate tensions, engage in dialogue, and protect the 2018 peace deal from collapse.
Escalating clashes between the government forces and the White Army allied with SPLM-IO in Upper Nile have reignited fears of South Sudan’s relapse into war, seven years after a devastating conflict claimed over 400,000 lives.
The government’s takeover of Machar-controlled Upper Nile, the detention of opposition figures, and threats to Dr. Riek Machar’s security in Juba signal a deepening crisis, putting the fragile peace deal on the brink of collapse.
In a statement issued on Friday by the President of the UN Security Council, Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark), the Council urged the cessation of hostilities and the initiation of dialogue.
“The members of the Security Council called on all parties to the 2018 peace agreement to refrain from further violence and engage in national dialogue to restore and maintain peace,” the statement reads.
“They underscored that dialogue and negotiation remain the only means for resolving differences and called upon the leadership of all the parties to the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity to immediately de-escalate tensions.”
The council strongly condemned the 7 March attack on a UNMISS helicopter in Nasir, which killed a crew member, injured two others, and claimed South Sudanese lives, urging accountability for those responsible and reminding all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Due to rising tensions and fears of another civil war, Germany has temporarily closed its embassy in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, the German foreign minister said on Saturday.
“After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war. President Kiir and Vice President Machar are plunging the country into a spiral of violence. They have a responsibility to end the senseless violence and finally implement the peace agreement,” Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, posted on official X account.
“The German Federal Government’s crisis management team decided to temporarily close our embassy in Juba due to the current situation. The safety of our colleagues is our top priority.”
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency government employees from South Sudan due to rising tensions from the ongoing conflict in the country.
To de-escalate tensions and prevent a return to conflict, regional bodies, the international community, and civil society leader Edmund Yakani have urged dialogue and the protection of the peace agreement. Western embassies are working to facilitate direct talks between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
Yakani has also called for government clarification on Machar’s security to prevent public unrest and propaganda, warning that any threat to his safety would violate the peace agreement.
“For the last two days, information are going on that his excellency first vice president have missed an assassination attempt in Juba town and today another information is trading that he is likely to be detained in Juba town,” Yakani stated.
“We need clarity, we need safety, we need security, we are aware that political disagreement happen among political leaders but that should not lead to the loss of lives of innocent citizens or making the common citizens to pay a very expensive price.”
Neither Machar’s office nor the government spokesperson was immediately available for comment on Machar’s security and the alleged assassination attempt.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, plunged into conflict in 2013, just two years after gaining independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
Fragmented rebellions and ethnic and communal violence have plagued the country since, hindering peace efforts and stalling economic and infrastructural development.
The ongoing conflict has led to civilian casualties and displacement, raising concerns over the collapse of the 2018 peace agreement that ended the five-year civil war between President Kiir and Dr. Machar, putting the country’s stability at risk once again.
There are fears that without de-escalation and dialogue, South Sudan could slip back into full-scale civil war.
Fourteen years after independence, the country is still struggling to stabilize, with national elections now scheduled for December 2026.