Berlin has announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, citing escalating tensions that threaten to plunge the East African nation back into civil war.
The German foreign ministry made the announcement on Saturday, expressing grave concerns over the current situation.
Recent actions by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, including the dismissal of the Upper Nile state governor, have exacerbated clashes between government forces and an ethnic militia accused of aligning with First Vice President Riek Machar.
This political standoff has amplified fears that South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, could descend into renewed conflict, merely seven years after emerging from a devastating civil war.
The German foreign ministry conveyed its alarm on social media platform X, stating that “after years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war.”
The ministry directly called on President Kiir and Vice President Machar to halt the escalating violence and finally implement the long-stalled peace agreement.
Echoing Germany’s concerns, the United Nations peacekeeping chief in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, has also voiced his apprehension that the country stands “on the brink of relapse into civil war.”
The temporary closure of the German embassy underscores the international community’s growing unease over the deteriorating security situation and the potential for widespread conflict in South Sudan.