Peace partners warn ongoing military confrontations are causing “tremors of an impending explosion” in South Sudan
The people of South Sudan are renowned for their patience, resilience and persistence in pursuing the peace and democracy they were promised when their leaders signed a landmark revitalized agreement in 2018.
But the hopes that were once so high are beingshattered.
“The peace process, a process we have all invested in, now hangs by a thread,” said the Special Envoy for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ismail Wais. “The ceasefire, the backbone of the peace agreement, has been violated as continued attacks and clashes between peace partners threaten to plunge the nation back into full-scale war.”
Speaking during consultations on the crisis held in Juba today, regional peace partners expressed a shared concern that another dark chapter is looming as military offensives, including aerial bombardments, displace more than 130,000 people in Upper Nile and Jonglei, and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, with three-quarters of South Sudanese needing aid and protection, and 7.7 million acutely food insecure.
“These are not mere warning signs they are the tremors of an impending explosion,” said Mr. Wais.
He stressed that unilateral dismissals and appointments to political posts are clear violations of the power-sharing agreement and that the arrest of key peace partners, including the First Vice President, have significantly escalated tensions, further eroded trust, and deepened divisions among supporters and communities.
“The key ones, the main signatories to the revitalized agreement, should start re-examining themselves. What went wrong, where, and what is to be done,” said the Head of the African Union Mission in South Sudan (AUMISS), Joram Biswaro.
The partners issued a collective call for a cessation of hostilities and return to an inclusive, nationally driven peace process to ensure legitimacy and effective implementation of the peace agreement.
“There is a need to rebuild public trust in national political leadership within the revitalized framework as we continue to stress the need to resolve conflicts by dialogue rather than force, and to avoid a relapse into full-scale conflict,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (Political), Guang Cong. “We also express our hope for inclusive, appropriate and credible representation in the unity Government.”
There is fear that, unless the necessary political decisions and actions are taken to rapidly implement critical outstanding benchmarks in the peace agreement, yet another extension of the transitional period and delayed elections are inevitable.
“The people of South Sudan have waited too long for peace. Their resilience deserves our collective action together with determination and unity,” said the Ambassador of Djibouti to South Sudan, Hassan Robleh, speaking as the Chair of IGAD.
“We must ensure that December 2026 marks, not just an election. but a new chapter for hope and stability.”
