With 'Lives at Stake', UN Aid Official Calls for Funding 'Commensurate with Need'
A sharp deterioration in South Sudan's political and security situation threatens to undermine the peace gains achieved so far and plunge the country back into war, the Head of the UN Mission warned the Security Council today, stressing the need for all parties to cease hostilities and honour the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
"All our efforts are now focused on preventing a relapse into widespread conflict and refocusing attention on the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement," Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), told the 15-member body.
He said that the standoff between the two principal signatories of the Agreement has escalated into open military confrontation. The conflict can be traced back to early March in the Upper Nile State, when the White Army overran the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir. In the aftermath, air strikes targeting Nasir - allegedly involving devices containing incendiary fuel - inflicted significant casualties, including among women and children. On 7 March, an attack on a UNMISS helicopter in Nasir resulted in the death of a crew member and numerous South Sudanese military personnel.
Mr. Haysom said that the White Army and SSPDF in Upper Nile continue to mobilize and recruit children, while the deployment of Ugandan forces has further fuelled public fear. Meanwhile, senior Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO) figures have been systematically removed from official posts, detained or forced into hiding. "The arrest of First Vice-President, Riek Machar, reflects a new low," he said.
Misinformation and hate speech are fuelling tensions in an atmosphere "darkly reminiscent" of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which claimed over 400,000 lives, he warned.
He urged both national and international stakeholders to work urgently towards securing a cessation of hostilities and safeguarding the integrity of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. UNMISS, he noted, has been actively engaged in efforts to broker a peaceful resolution, working closely with the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Security Council, he stressed, must call on all parties to uphold the ceasefire, honour the peace agreement and release detained military officials. In response to the deteriorating security environment, UNMISS has reinforced protection-of-civilians measures, including strengthening its presence at internally displaced persons sites in Juba and increasing its patrols and security at its bases.
As the crisis deepens, the Council must ensure the continuity of UNMISS' mandate. "Another war is a risk South Sudan simply cannot afford, nor can the wider region," he concluded.
Humanitarian Nightmare Must Be Averted
"If the political crisis is not averted, the humanitarian nightmare will become a reality very quickly," warned Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Ms. Wosornu said that 9.3 million South Sudanese - translating to three quarters of the country's population - need humanitarian assistance. The rising violence and displacement, she continued, which, since mid-February, has swept through the Upper Nile State, "have increased the exposure of women and girls to gender-based violence, including sexual violence, and exploitation".
Close to 7.7 million people are acutely hungry, even as the World Food Programme has warned that vulnerable families in the country's north-east region are at "a critical tipping point", she said. The "unprecedented influx" of the 1.1 million returnees and refugees since April 2023 has "placed immense pressure on local services, food supplies and already-fragile infrastructure," particularly in the Renk, Malakal and Aweil border areas.
"The window of opportunity must be seized to avert a humanitarian nightmare with a relapse of widespread conflict," she added, calling on all stakeholders to work to prevent the country's descent into chaos and the conflict's spillover to neighbouring countries. With "lives at stake", she called for funding that commensurate with high levels of needs and noted that the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requires $1.7 billion to support nearly 5.4 million people in the country.
South Sudanese 'Tired, Traumatized'
Highlighting the devastating impact of the violence on civilians, especially women and girls, Jackline Nasiwa, Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, said that her organization has witnessed survivors of sexual violence in multiple regions, who are in desperate need of health services, psychosocial care and recognition for children born as a result of conflict-related sexual violence.
"The people of South Sudan are tired and traumatized and cannot heal in an environment of unending violence and political uncertainty," she said. Underscoring the importance of inclusive peace processes, she pointed out the insufficient implementation of the 35 per cent quota for women's participation, with only two women out of nine commissioners on the National Elections Commission and none at State High Committees. Highlighting the crucial role of UNMISS in preventing violence, she added that "it is essential to prioritize gender across implementation of UNMISS' mandate".
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