South Sudan at risk of sliding into full-scale civil war

By Linda Bordoni

As the civil war continues to wreak death, destruction and displacement in Sudan, observers warn its neighbour, South Sudan, risks a return to all-out civil war as well.

Having obtained independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation. It struggled to find stability from the very start as its president and his deputy of opposing parties clashed for power, triggering a deadly war that caused tens of thousands to flee their homes.

UN inquiry

The nation’s 2018 “Revitalized Peace Agreement” appears increasingly fragile, and a just-released UN inquiry finds that the country’s political and military leaders are driving the nation towards full-scale war and mass atrocity crimes.

South Sudan is at a "dangerous point" and risks sliding back into full-scale civil war as violence intensifies and a fragile peace agreement comes under strain, the UN human rights chief warned Friday.

Forgotten crisis

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk expressed extreme concern for the human rights situation in South Sudan and described it as one of the world’s forgotten crises.

He sounded the alarm on Friday following the release of an investigative report that accuses the country’s political and military leaders of systematically dismantling the 2018 "Revitalised Peace Agreement", of undermining governance and exposing civilians to grave risks of renewed armed conflict, mass atrocity crimes and serious violations of international human rights law.

Turk said Government and opposition forces and allied militias have attacked residential areas across multiple states in recent months, forcing large-scale displacement, noting that in northern Jonglei alone, more than 280,000 people fled their homes.

Spike of indiscriminate attacks

January, he continued, saw a sharp deterioration with civilians bearing the brunt of a spike in indiscriminate attacks, including aerial bombardments, deliberate killings, abductions and conflict-related sexual violence.

"Human rights monitoring provides a warning system. That system is flashing red for South Sudan," Volker Turk said, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities and renewed commitment to the peace agreement.