South Sudan on brink of civil war, UN's Haysom warns

“The time for action is now because the alternative is too terrible to contemplate” -Nicholas Haysom, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

Read more in report from UN News

By Vibhu Mishra

Dated Monday, 24 March 2025 - full copy:

South Sudan on the brink of civil war, top UN official warns

© WFP/Peter Louis Displaced people in Renk County, Upper Nile State, South Sudan. (file)

South Sudan is teetering on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war as violence escalates and political tensions deepen, the head of the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) warned on Monday.

Briefing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via videolink from Juba, Nicholas Haysom described indiscriminate attacks on civilians, mass displacement and rising ethnic tensions.

He urged all parties to pull back from the brink and commit to peace before the country plunges into another devastating conflict.

“A conflict would erase all the hard-won gains made since the 2018 peace deal was signed. It would devastate not only South Sudan but the entire region, which simply cannot afford another war,” he warned.

Fragile peace at risk

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but the world’s youngest nation has been plagued by conflict and instability ever since.

A civil war erupted in 2013 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with his former deputy, Riek Machar. The war – marked by ethnic violence, mass atrocities and widespread humanitarian crisis – lasted until a fragile peace deal was signed in 2018.

Though the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement brought a degree of stability, delays in its implementation and continued political rivalries have kept tensions simmering.

Mounting violence

The latest wave of violence erupted on 4 March when the so-called White Army – a youth militia – overran South Sudanese army barracks in Nasir, Upper Nile province.

In response, Government forces launched retaliatory aerial bombardments on civilian areas, using barrel bombs that allegedly contained highly flammable accelerants.

“These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are causing significant casualties and horrific injuries, especially burns, including to women and children,” Mr. Haysom said, adding that at least 63,000 people have fled the area.

Reports indicate that both the White Army and national forces are mobilising for further confrontations, with allegations of child recruitment into armed groups.

The deployment of foreign forces at the request of the Government has further heightened tensions, evoking painful memories of the country’s previous civil wars.

Rising ethnic tensions

Political tensions are also escalating, Mr. Haysom continued.

Senior officials affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) – the main rival militia – have been removed, replaced, detained, or forced into hiding.

There is also an increasing use of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which is fuelling ethnic divisions and fear, making reconciliation even more difficult.

“Given this grim situation, we are left with no other conclusion, but to assess that South Sudan is teetering on the edge of a relapse into civil war,” the senior UN official warned.

Diplomatic efforts stalled

Mr. Haysom further reported that UNMISS has engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts alongside regional and international partners, including the African Union (AU), the regional development bloc, IGAD, and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission.

However, a scheduled high-level visit by IGAD foreign ministers to Juba, aimed at mediating between the parties, was abruptly postponed by the South Sudanese government without explanation.

“This is a disappointing development at a time when diplomatic outreach is more important than ever,” he said.

Recommit to peace

Mr. Haysom urged South Sudan’s leaders to immediately recommit to the 2018 peace deal, respect the ceasefire, release detained officials and resolve disputes through dialogue rather than military confrontation.

He also called for President Kiir and First Vice President Machar to meet and publicly reaffirm their joint commitment to peace.

“The time for action is now because the alternative is too terrible to contemplate.”

WATCH VIDEO: Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for South Sudan speaks to the press via videolink.

View original: Here

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Sudan conflict spilling into oil-rich Abyei. South Sudan postpones its December 2024 election by two years

THE WORLD must not forget what is happening in South Sudan and Abyei, an oil-rich area on the border of South Sudan and Sudan. South Sudan postponed its first elections scheduled for December. Read more below.

Report from defenceWeb
Dated 07 November 2024 - full copy:

 Sudan conflict spilling into Abyei

UNISFA peacekeepers on humanitarian duty. Picture: United Nations.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) this week heard ongoing conflict in Sudan is “exacerbating instability” in Abyei, a 10 000 plus square kilometre contested area between Sudan and the world’s youngest country, South Sudan.

According to the world body, which has a peacekeeping mission on the ground in the oil-rich area, Abyei is claimed by both sides – RSF (Rapid Support Forces) and the Sudan Armed Force (SAF). The UN mission – UNISFA (UN Interim Security Force for Abyei) was first deployed in June 2011 and currently has 4 190 uniformed members and 3 743 civilians on its personnel strength.

Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the UN Department of Peace Operations, told ambassadors on the Security Council the Sudan war continues to have a profound impact on the security, economic and humanitarian situations in South Sudan and Sudan.

Since the power struggle between rival militaries in Sudan began last April, Abyei and its neighbours have grappled with disruptions in oil production and surging refugee arrivals. These setbacks left already stretched resources in South Sudan under greater strain, with thousands of refugees enduring shortages of clean water, food and healthcare services.

Pobee highlighted continued proliferation of arms and heightened tensions, as observed with the recent incursion of RSF combatants into Abyei’s Aman-Aquak and Mijak counties, with reports of looting.

“The movement of armed groups is compounding the fragile security situation in South Sudan and Abyei,  particularly in relation to the pre-existing tensions between the Twic Mayardit and Ngok Dinka communities across Warrap state and Abyei,” she said.

Also this week, the African Union (AU) by way of its special envoy on the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, added its condemnation of the ongoing Sudan conflict.

A statement has Adama Dieng saying reports of “grave crimes” including mass killing, summary executions, sexual assault, abduction, torture and looting have emerged despite a telecommunication black-out. As special envoy he urges the leaders of the two main fighting forces General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Dagalo “Hemedti” to de-escalate the fighting and, among others, refrain from targeting civilians.

View original: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/african-news/sudan-conflict-spilling-into-abyei/

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Related reports

From Al Jazeera 

Dated 14 September 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan postpones December election by two years

Government says it needs more time to complete a census, draft a permanent constitution and register political parties.

President Salva Kiir, who has led South Sudan since it became independent from Sudan in 2011, had promised to hold elections in 2024 

[File: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]

South Sudan’s government has announced it is postponing long-delayed general elections until December 2026, citing a lack of preparedness. This is the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, is postponing elections and extending a transitional period that started in February 2020. 

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/14/south-sudan-postpones-december-election-by-two-years

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From What's In Blue 

Dated 06 November 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan: Briefing and Consultations

An expected focus of tomorrow’s [07 November] meeting is the 13 September decision by the signatories to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to extend the transitional period by 24 months. The decision postponed again the country’s first post-independence elections, which were scheduled for December 2024, until December 2026, and extended the transitional period until February 2027. The original transitional period outlined in the R-ARCSS was set to end in February 2023; it had been extended until February 2025 through a roadmap adopted in August 2022. (For background and more information, see the brief on South Sudan in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast.)

Full story: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2024/11/south-sudan-briefing-and-consultations-26.php

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From The Conversation 

By Steven C. Roach

Dated 08 November 2024 - excerpt:

Salva Kiir: South Sudan’s president fought for independence, but then fuelled division, violence and corruption

Salva Kiir Mayardit has served as South Sudan’s president since the country’s independence in 2011. South Sudan’s secession from Sudan came on the heels of a long and bloody civil war that resulted in a referendum on independence. The initial optimism about the new state faded within two years when Kiir fell out with his vice-president, Riek Machar. The resulting civil war displaced some four million people and killed an estimated 388,000 people. With the two warring sides unable to reach agreement, the government postponed elections indefinitely in 2015 amid continuing civil strife.

Full story: https://theconversation.com/salva-kiir-south-sudans-president-fought-for-independence-but-then-fuelled-division-violence-and-corruption-242747

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From The East African 

By Garang Malak

Dated 08 November 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan holdouts agree to resume peace talks in Nairobi

President Ruto says parties to the South Sudan peace process have agreed to resume mediation

Kenya's President William Ruto makes remarks, during the swearing-in ceremony of his new Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on November 1, 2024. Kindiki is an academic turned politician who was thrust into the limelight when he defended his boss President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court. The 52-year-old millionaire served as interior minister for more than two years before taking over as deputy president on November 1, 2024 following the historic impeachment of his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua. (Photo by SIMON MAINA/Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP

South Sudan’s holdout groups, the non-signatories to the 2018 peace agreement, have agreed to resume peace talks in Nairobi after months of expressing security concerns and dissatisfaction with the process. This development follows Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Juba on Wednesday, where he held talks with President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar and other key stakeholders in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).

Full story: https://www.zawya.com/en/economy/africa/south-sudan-holdouts-agree-to-resume-peace-talks-in-nairobi-a3ontus8

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South Sudan corruption: ‘South Sudanese have not benefited from oil revenues’-EU Ambassador

"South Sudan is a textbook example of a resource curse, where the profits from oil have not benefited the people at large and they have been largely wasted and misused. Tragically, many of the renewable and sustainable resources the country has on the other hand have been neglected over the past decades. I am thinking particularly of the agricultural potential and the amazing biodiversity of the country.” -EU Amb. Olkkonen. Read more.

From Radio Tamazuj JUBA CITY
Dated Friday, 10 May 2024 - here is a full copy:

‘South Sudanese have not benefited from oil revenues’-EU Ambassador

Ambassador Timo Olkkonen, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan speaking at a function to mark European Day at Notos Restaurant in Juba. (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of South Sudan on Thursday said the people of South Sudan have not benefited from the proceeds from crude oil which is the country’s largest export.

Ambassador Timo Olkkonen who is the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan was speaking in Juba at a ceremony to mark European Day and qualified South Sudan as a textbook example of a resource curse.

He said fossil-based technology is old fashioned as modern and more environmentally friendly ways to produce energy exist, and that if left unaddressed, continued fossil fuel usage will possibly contribute to our extinction as a species with climate change taking effect.

“That is not to say that we should not appreciate the role of oil in South Sudan. You would be blind not to understand its importance. But South Sudan is a textbook example of a resource curse, where the profits from oil have not benefited the people at large and they have been largely wasted and misused,” Amb. Olkkonen stated. “Tragically, many of the renewable and sustainable resources the country has on the other hand have been neglected over the past decades. I am thinking particularly of the agricultural potential and the amazing biodiversity of the country.”

He added: “It is said that every crisis is an opportunity, so perhaps the recent issues with oil exports could redirect focus on these other cleaner engines of economic growth and you cannot argue that the potential is not there.”

The EU envoy said they recently joined several members of the international community in calling on the government not to tax aid and welcomed South Sudan’s removal of taxes on humanitarian aid and exemption of UN agencies from taxes.

“I welcome the fact that the government has confirmed that this indeed is not the intention and I cannot emphasize enough but what matters is implementation,” Olkkonen said. “Anything short of that would be a disaster for the people of South Sudan and cause reputational damage to the country itself.”

On the peace process, the envoy said the enthusiasm for the conduct of general elections in South Sudan has subsided as parties to the agreement have missed key timelines during the implementation of the peace accord.

“I was enthusiastic about the prospect of engaging in and supporting the preparations for elections and a new constitution. We have been supporting those processes politically and also through our development cooperation. Indeed a new project on electoral support was launched last August,” Amb. Olkkonen said. “I have to confess however that that enthusiasm has since subsided. Over the past year, we witnessed deadline after deadline of the Peace agreement’s Roadmap being missed. A month ago, we read the assessment of the UN Secretary General of the level of preparedness of the country to hold elections concluding that the parties must commit to taking urgent steps to achieve a critical mass of implementation necessary for the peaceful conduct of free, fair, and credible elections.”

He said despite disappointments, he still thinks the prospects of a first permanent constitution and the first elections of an independent country are of the kind that should evoke patriotism and enthusiasm.

“We hope that the ongoing processes like the UNMISS-supported interparty dialogue or the Kenyan mediation efforts will very soon bear fruits in this regard and that the stakeholders come together to forge a consensus” Olkkonen stated.

For his part, South Sudan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Monday Suraya Kumba said the country is satisfied with the bilateral ties between the EU and its member states in many developmental and economic sectors.

“We are also looking forward to engaging with the European Union and member states in other areas such development of the mineral sector, development of agriculture sector, development of the industrial sector, capacity building and climate change among others,” he said. “I would like to reassure you of our commitment as a government to continue meeting the needs of our people, to continue engaging different partners to the upcoming engagement political economic engagement in the country which includes the upcoming elections.”

“We are looking forward to working closely with the EU to gain support to achieve this overall objective,” Amb. Kumba added.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/south-sudanese-have-not-benefited-from-oil-revenues-eu-ambassador

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Further reading

UK Foreign Office's 'no travel' list with 24 countries UK tourists urged to avoid

Daily Record, James Rodger & Nicola Roy, Fri, 10 May 2024, 3:26 pm BST.

Birmingham Live reports that the UK Gov Foreign Office is currently advising against travel, or all but essential travel, to 24 destinations on the 'black list': Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, and Niger, North Korea, Palestinian territories, Russia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/foreign-offices-no-travel-list-142602539.html

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