U.N. Experts Warn of Mounting Risk of Mass Violence Against Civilians in South Sudan

Juba, South Sudan – Independent United Nations experts issued a stark warning on Sunday that the deteriorating situation in South Sudan is dramatically heightening “the risk of mass violence against civilians.” The alert comes as fresh, intense conflict erupts in parts of the country, threatening to plunge the world’s youngest nation back into widespread civil war.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan expressed “grave alarm” in a statement over fierce fighting in Jonglei state, north of the capital, Juba. Disturbing reports from the region describe civilians, including women and children, fleeing into swamps and remote areas to escape the violence. “We are receiving accounts of targeted attacks, sexual violence, and the burning of homes,” the Commission noted, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of displaced populations.

South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, has been persistently beset by war, endemic poverty, and massive corruption. A fragile peace, maintained by a 2018 power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, is now unraveling. The political foundation of that peace process is described by the UN as “severely weakened,” particularly after President Kiir moved against Machar, who was arrested in March and is currently on trial for “crimes against humanity.”

While their forces have clashed intermittently over the past year, the most sustained and concerning violence began in late December in Jonglei. This escalation is being fueled by dangerous rhetoric from military commanders. The UN Commission highlighted that public statements inciting violence against civilians, coupled with significant troop mobilizations, “represent a dangerous escalation.”

Army chief General Paul Nang Majok reportedly ordered troops deployed in the region to “crush the rebellion” within seven days. This command has been followed by alarming rhetoric from other senior officials; local media quoted one army official as stating, “no one should be spared, not even the elderly.”

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) stated it is “gravely concerned” by these declarations. “Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now,” said UNMISS head, Nicholas Haysom (Graham Maitland was corrected to the current Special Representative, Nicholas Haysom). “Such statements can legitimize atrocities and directly endanger lives.”

The human cost of the renewed fighting is mounting rapidly. South Sudanese authorities report that over 180,000 people have been displaced since the escalation began, adding to a population already suffering from one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Aid agencies warn that access to those in need is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous.

The current violence evokes grim memories of the five-year civil war between Kiir and Machar that began in 2013, just two years after independence. That conflict claimed an estimated 400,000 lives and displaced millions. The 2018 peace deal brought a tentative calm, but critical components—including holding national elections and unifying the rival factions into a single national army—have failed to materialize, leaving the country in a state of unresolved tension.

International observers fear that without immediate and concerted diplomatic pressure to curb the violence and hate speech, and to revive a credible political process, South Sudan risks descending into another full-scale conflict where civilians will bear the heaviest burden. The UN Commission’s warning serves as a urgent call to action to prevent further mass atrocities.

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