By Vibhu Mishra
24 March
2025
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.
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“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.”
