UN official warns of worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan News
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UN official warns of worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan

UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa Martha Pobee raised concerns on Monday about the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan. While briefing the UN Security Council on the humanitarian and security situations in the country, she urged the international community to act quickly and to assist South Sudanese authorities to recommit to the process mandated in the 2018 peace agreement.

Pobee stated that leaders have failed to maintain the progress initially made under the peace process, which has eroded the trust in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. She also noted that political challenges, including tensions between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar following Machar’s house arrest in March, have further hindered the implementation of the agreement.

Additionally, new fighting between militias loyal to the vice president and government troops loyal to President Kiir has further exacerbated the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, which resulted in deaths, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and a displacement crisis. The armed conflict in Sudan has meanwhile disrupted the flow of South Sudanese oil to Port Sudan, causing South Sudan to lose most of its oil revenues.

Another briefing highlighted that South Sudan is facing one of its worst humanitarian crises since independence, with 9.3 million people requiring assistance and 7.7 million experiencing food insecurity, alongside increasing sexual violence. In addition, damage to civilian infrastructure, attacks against humanitarian workers, and funding cuts have further complicated humanitarian efforts, leaving millions in urgent need of aid.

Consequently, Pobee called on South Sudanese officials to take concrete steps to recommit to the peace agreement and prioritize restoring security to enable elections by December 2026. She also urged the Security Council to work closely with South Sudanese parties to prevent renewed violence.

South Sudan has experienced an escalation in hostilities since February, which was seen as a threat to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. This agreement put an end to the internal conflict between presidential guard soldiers from the Dinka ethnic group who aligned with Kiir, and those from the Nuer ethnic group who supported Machar. However, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns in May about the resumption of armed attacks and warned that the escalation of violence would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. One month later, the UN Commission on Human Rights Council warned that the escalating instability in South Sudan could lead to the collapse of the 2018 peace deal and called for international intervention to put an end to the persistent violence.

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