The United Nations’ top human rights official has urged warring factions in South Sudan to halt their escalating conflict before it spirals further out of control.
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned Friday that intensifying violence risks worsening an already fragile humanitarian and peace situation.
“The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the dire human rights and humanitarian situation,” Turk said, urging all parties to urgently “pull back from the brink.”
Since early May, fighting has sharply increased between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).
According to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), indiscriminate aerial bombings and ground assaults have ravaged areas in Jonglei State and Upper Nile, notably Fangak and Tonga County.
The violence has inflicted heavy civilian casualties, with at least 75 people killed and 78 injured between May 3 and 20.
Thousands have been displaced amid the chaos, with homes and civilian infrastructure caught in the crossfire.
Tragically, a medical facility run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was among the targeted sites, highlighting the severe impact on essential services.
The UN calls for urgent restraint and dialogue to prevent the country’s fragile peace from collapsing under the weight of renewed conflict.
Without swift action, South Sudan risks sliding deeper into a humanitarian catastrophe with devastating consequences for its people.