The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned Friday that the country’s fragile 2018 peace agreement is on the verge of collapse.
Renewed violence and political repression have pushed the Revitalized Peace Agreement to the edge, with growing fears of a return to full-scale war.
Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka described the situation as a “crisis,” cautioning that the agreement is nearing “irrelevance” as armed conflict surges.
South Sudan’s military has launched new offensives, including airstrikes on civilian areas, causing mounting casualties and displacing thousands.
A state of emergency has been declared in several regions, amid reports that Ugandan troops are aiding government operations.
These actions violate key security reforms agreed under the peace deal, raising alarms over the government’s commitment to peace.
Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernandez condemned the bombings and political repression, urging the global community to abandon “passive diplomacy.”
He warned that civilians are enduring extreme trauma as opposition voices are crushed and freedoms disappear.
The commission also reported the detention of opposition figures, including First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, in a shrinking civic space.
Upper Nile State faces emergency-level food insecurity and has become a key refugee route from Sudan’s war, stoking regional instability.
Commissioner Barney Afako called efforts to undermine the peace deal “profound folly,” warning of renewed violence and mass suffering.
The commission urged the African Union and IGAD to act decisively, restore the peace roadmap, and prevent another devastating conflict.
Failure to intervene, it said, risks triggering a wider catastrophe across the Horn of Africa.